Yo Lighthouse!
For those of you who don’t know me – I’m Megan! And yes, I already wrote a Stories of Grace (or “sog”, as the office staff affectionately calls these) and yes, you can write one too! In fact, please consider writing a sog and email Nicole if you’re interested ha ha ha ha ha!
Okay, all silliness aside – I’ll try to keep this short. This week’s Story of Grace isn’t anything new or exciting – rather, it’s simply an account of how God has been so good and faithful to me through pretty ordinary means. See? You can write one too!
For these last six months, I’ve been a part of a weekly Bible study with two close friends. We’ve actually been meeting as a book club (I say book club rather loosely since a lot of our meetings actually consisted of eating and talking rather than reading and discussing) for over five years. We never really had time to meet regularly until now, though – thank God for technology! – and have gone through two books together (Jen Wilkin’s Hebrews and Joshua) and just started Sermon on the Mount! And honestly, it was a little difficult for me in the beginning because I’m such an impatient, action-oriented person. Just give me the application, am I right? But week after week, we were forced to slow down and sit in the I-don’t-knows. And God showed Himself to us in amazing, real ways and I realized how much I was missing in my pursuit of knowing Him better.
Since I had been keeping the emphasis on myself instead of on a higher vision, I consistently felt underwhelmed, impatient and ready to move on (resulting in seeing very little change in my actual life) in my study of the Word. But in both Hebrews and Joshua, He proved time and time again to be a better Savior, with better promises, and the only one who offers true, lasting rest. In this season where so much is TBD and when I’m in the middle of a lot of transitions, I am so thankful to know God and to be known by Him. Even in my brokenness and sinfulness, God saved me, provided something better for me in Christ, and continues to provide ways for me to know Him more deeply and richly.
In light of our recent sermon series, I’ve been thinking more about what it means to care for one another. There are so many ways, really, but I’m overwhelmed when I think about how much God has demonstrated His love to me through this Bible study. I was so afraid about getting sick or getting someone else sick, transitioning jobs/not finding a job/being bad at my new job/what is life, dealing with tricky relationships, trying to be a good wife, and everything else in between. But week after week, I was reminded to look away from myself and look to Christ. In every moment and season, He continues to be faithful, wise, sovereign, merciful, patient (the list goes on…)! I’m so thankful my friends cared for me by pointing me to Christ, the author and perfecter of my faith. I’m so thankful they reminded me every week that what we have in common (besides our love for podcasts and our skinny husbands) is Jesus – and that He is ever present and active in our lives.
As we venture into month six (!!) of this new normal, I see the need to remind myself more than anyone else: to truly care for one another requires a direct connection to the One who loves us so fully and completely. Lighthouse family, my prayer is that we all continue to care for one another by reminding each other of the One who knows us the best, and cares so much for us!
(And just for kicks, since we all love some application – 10/10 would recommend doing a Bible study with some friends! ^-^)
