Which way to turn?

Another GB girl had shared this video on Facebook last night, and it ties in perfectly with what I was going to blog on today…

Christmas can be a great time of year.  Everyone seems that bit more cheerful.  The world twinkles a little bit more as fairy lights decorate everything that is near enough a plug.  But just because it is nearly Christmas does not mean that all the stresses and worries that you have the rest of the year will go away.  When you were little it might have felt like the magical feeling that we see in Christmas movies was automatically what everyone would feel at Christmas time, but as you get older you realise that it’s not always the way.

I have had a few conversations with GB girls recently who are worried about what comes next… maybe they are in the final year of school or university, maybe they have a big decision to make in their lives, or they just have sooooo much on, that they really can’t think ahead beyond the mountain of stuff they have to do.  These girls are Christians and have a strong relationship with God, but that doesn’t mean they have all the answers.

You can hear Bible verses and stories that tell you to put your trust in God, and when things are going well you will see no problem or difficulty with that.  However, when you are in the thick of a problem or a hard time and you are not sure which way to turn, everything you knew may suddenly not seem so certain.  You find out that those Bible verses that you know of by heart, well maybe you never actually realised what they meant.  Your brain might understand them but you don’t truely trust them in your heart ….. and that can be very, very scary!

Let’s go back to Mary.  She was a teenager who was in a stressful, scary situation.  Can you imagine how scared she must have been?  Suddenly she was pregnant.  Who was going to believe that she hadn’t had sex?  Go to 1:20 in the video & watch that bit again.  It struck me while watching this that she would also have to deal with Joseph’s feelings of hurt.  This big strong carpenter… heartbroken.

I think this video makes Mary & Joesph’s story very human.  Yeah it was extraordinary, but they had normal human emotions during this time, and they were the complicated, difficult, messy, dramatic kind!  So lets look at how they got through it…

They trusted in God.  We can see that they wobbled a bit.  But ultimately they trusted in God’s plan for them, even though it seemed so out there!

As you read this you might be thinking, that it was all very well for them, God sent actual visible angels to give them messages straight from God.  Yes, that is true that meeting an angel might help you believe in something a lot quicker, but remember that the message the angels brought for Mary and Joseph is still given to us today… it is just written in a book rather than spoken out loud to us.

We read on that Joseph was obedient, He did exactly what God had asked him to do.  Technically he had a choice as the baby was not inside him, and technically he could have divorced Mary quietly…but He didn’t.  Even though it was difficult, he made the choice to obey God and stay with Mary.

Mary didn’t really have so much choice, as the baby was in her womb and growing.  However, we do see that she did not panic or complain or stress.  She trusted God to the extent that a song of hers is recorded in Luke 1:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.

This song wasn’t a ballad, it was a full on worship song.  You need to be in a good place to write something like this!

I not saying that you are not a proper Christian if you complain and question and stress and panic!  God wants to hear your most honest feelings and thoughts.  What I am saying instead is that you are not the first Christian to suffer doubts.  Those Bible verses that you have heard a hundred times are still true.  (Look through previous blogs and you will find them.)  However, you cannot get through this alone.  You cannot make your heart believe what your brain knows without God’s help.  The words of the prayer below might help you:

Dear Lord,

Things are tough at the minute.  I don’t know where to turn next.  I have so much work to do / I have no idea what I am going to be doing next year / My heart is broken / This challenge is too much (delete as applicable)

Father, please draw me close to you and bring me your peace.  Please let me let you take the driving seat in my life and grant me your wisdom as I make these decisions.

I pray that all the Bible stories and teachings that I have heard over the years will become real to me and that you will open my eyes to the love you have for me.

Lord, you sent your Son down to earth as a baby so that He would grow up and experience the world of emotions that we go through, and because of that you know exactly what is going on with me.  Thank you for that as it shows just how much you love me.

Father I pray that I will be able to follow the examples of Joseph and Mary.  I pray that I will be obedient to your Word, and that I will find your joy in my life as I worship you.

Amen.

We have said it before and we will say it again, being a Christian in this world is the hardest path you could choose.  However, our God created us and loves us (We are His masterpiece! Ephesians 2:10).  God does not leave us to go through difficult times alone, He is right there… we just need to turn to Him.

If you have any other thoughts or advice for anyone who is worried about the future, please share them in the comments below.

And we pray that over the Christmas period that you will be reminded of just how much God loves you!

Sarah