Let us be… Found Faithful ~ Day 3
Day three- Still sick.
Each day I’m sick I wonder how things are going to work out, and in my own weakness it’s a struggle not to stress over it. It’s so hard to let go of our plans and trust that God is going to work everything out, isn’t it?
Even though I see Him working it out each day… My mind is still wondering the “what ifs” and I feel like the people Jesus reprimanded in Matthew 16:8 “O ye of little faith…” Do you ever have those thought too?
If I’m honest, I was also having moments where I just wanted to be home in my own bed. When you’re sick, far from home, family and your comfy bed, you miss it… and that’s normal. So let me just say it: This was the hardest day for me thus far! I wasn’t sure I’d be well enough to be with them the next day and it was hard to know what the rest of the time together would look like. We all have those moments where we can’t see past what trial we are going through, little or big. We tend to look for our own solutions, and it’s hard to have the faith to trust that God knows ALL that is going on, He cares about ALL of it, His purposes are IN ALL of it, and He will work it ALL out.
But God.
He is still good, even when (especially when) we don’t know the outcome.
So where do we turn in our despair and doubt? We need to have hearts that turn to prayer. And sometimes that’s a constant prayer, because it puts us in the humble, trusting and obedient place we need to be.
Tuesday was our day to explore Como. I was so excited to take the ladies to the “big city” on Lake Como, because I hadn’t done that in years! Usually we don’t have time for it, but this retreat was a smaller group and I had planned to do some new and different things.
So… another friend from Lake Como was willing to take her time that day to show the ladies her own city! Simona is a dear friend that has joined my retreats for years, she’s taught a couple times, (many of you know her and love her too) and I had already asked her to meet us for lunch that day. So I reached out to her the day before and told her I was sick and she was so sweet to offer to take the ladies to the lunch place we were going to go together.
Not only that… Simona was so kind to meet the ladies at the ferry, help them get their tickets for their return to Bellagio, and show them Como, which is her hometown. She helped them buy special gifts from the shops that she knows so well, she took them to lunch at a beautiful place she had suggested to me months ago, and then she walked them back to the ferry so they would have time to get back to Bellagio without any worries. Grazie mille Simona!
What faithful friends God has blessed me with here! And what a beautiful testimony of God’s faithfulness, yet again, in the details of our lives.
As I teach about faithfulness this week, and as I watch from afar in my apartment how everything is working out, I’m realizing that it is just as God had planned, beforehand. (Which is so interesting how I talk about this in the devotional I wrote for this year, months before this happened…)
All that has happened this year (there was a LOT going on in June too) still blows me away. It’s incredible to see the level of detail the Lord cares about, and works out on our behalf! It’s why I’m so “adamant” about writing/journaling the details of our lives down on paper, so we can look back and see what He has done, and know how important it is to share that with others. So I pray these women can see ALL that God was doing this week… and that He IS working all things out for our good and His glory!
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”( Romans 8:28)
What a beautiful testimony to share with others; for my friends here in Italy to see, for the women who came to this retreat to witness, and for everyone to go home and share what God has done on this trip!
And, I’m so thankful for all the friends here that are checking in on me, offering to help me, and dropping off food for me. (You know who you are...) What incredible acts of kindness I’ve seen in so many people here!
Lastly, I’m constantly praying I will be better soon so I can take the ladies to Pescallo tomorrow and share this beautiful, peaceful lakefront spot with them. A place where we can pray, have devotions together, and create art from glad hearts that are praising Him in this incredible setting! Because it truly is a place that God testifies of His glory in creation. (Romans 1:20)
To be continued… (and believe me, you won’t want to miss the next two days stories!)
Hugs to all,
Laura