Trauma's storm can mask the Christ and feelings can lie. Ann Voskamp
Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)
An excerpt from One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are:
How do you count on life when the hopes don't add up?
A morning in late November, joy shimmers.
The hopes don't have to add up. The blessings do. Count blessings and discover Who can be counted on.
Isn't that what had been happening, quite unexpectedly? This living a lifestyle of intentional gratitude became an unintentional test in the trustworthiness of God -- and in counting blessings I stumbled upon the way out of fear. Can God be counted on? Count blessings and find out how many of His bridges have already held. Had I not trusted all these years because I had not counted?
I glanced back in the mirror to the concrete bridge, the one I had boldly driven straight across without a second thought, and I see truth reflected back at me: Every time fear freezes and worry writhes, every time I surrender to stress, aren't I advertising the unreliability of God? That I really don't believe? But if I'm grateful to the Bridge Builder for the crossing of a million strong bridges, thankful for a million faithful moments, my life speaks my belief and I trust Him again.
I fearlessly cross the next bridge.
I shake my head at the blinding wonder of it: Trust is the bridge from yesterday to tomorrow, built with planks of thanks. Remembering frames up gratitude. Gratitude lays out the planks of trust. I can walk the planks -- from known to unknown -- and know: He holds.
I could walk unafraid.