What is True: Isaiah 46:4

I will be the same until your old age,
and I will bear you up when you turn gray.
I have made you, and I will carry you;
I will bear and save you.

Isaiah 46:4

The Lie We Believe: We’re on our own

The Truth: God has us, every step of the way

When I was little I had big dreams of being an editor. I wanted to go to a fancy school, become an expert, get an impressive job in a big city for a fantastic magazine and work with words. I could imagine it all, right down to the cup of coffee I’d carry as I walked down the streets to get to my beautiful corner office.

What I never dreamed of was a family. A husband to go on the journey with me. A daughter who would change my heart in unimaginable ways. I never imagined friends who would help me, who would be there to laugh and cry and cheer and sit around in comfy pants watching our favorite shows. I assumed I would do it all, but I would do it all on my own. I didn’t want to let anyone down, and I didn’t want anyone to leave me.

I’m so glad God had other plans for me. Otherwise I might have ended up like Cat Grant on Super Girl – successful, fabulous, but quite alone. And loneliness is definitely one of the things that triggers jealousy for me.

I believe the lie that I’m all on my own – everyone else is off hanging out, doing things together, having a ton of fun, and I’m left out. It’s some serious self-imposed FOMO and instead of appreciating the season of rest God is giving me, or recognizing what He’s asking me to focus on, I start wish I was included in MORE.

The truth is, no matter how real our loneliness is, God has never once left our side. He’ll be there for as long as it takes. He will carry us when we can’t do it on our own (and there will be times when we can’t). Although it might not look like what we’d dreamed, and we might wish we were in someone else’s shoes, God will always save us. Lately, God has had to save me from myself – pulling me from platforms and opportunities my soul simply wasn’t prepared to handle. It felt lonely and awful and mean – but God’s plans are always better than my own. He took me from a dark path of jealousy and set my feet back on a much less impressive road to joy. And He never left my side.

Questions:

• Where have you experienced God carrying you through a hard time?
• Is loneliness a jealousy trigger for you?
• Where do you need God to come alongside you today?