Alli
Alli is one of my dearest friends from college. We got placed together on the same team when we went down to serve in Mexico over Spring Break. This girl has such a beautiful heart for the Lord! She is a true light, a true encourager, and a humble friend.
We live in a season where anxiety and fear are no longer in the shadows but seem to walk with heads held high down the deserted roads of our neighborhoods and cities. The what-ifs are weighing heavy on our hearts and the unknowns are overwhelming. This social distancing thing and quarantine-isolation weren’t even in our regular daily vocabulary a few months ago, now they are our lived reality. In the midst of the chaos, in the midst of the uncertainty in the midst of loneliness, in the midst of the heartache, in the midst of the heaviness, there is everlasting hope. Who knew these four letters might just be a lifeline in this craziness. Hope- it’s this abstract, light, and life-giving thing, it seems present yet elusive, a firm foundation but hidden. Hope is like the wind, it's always there but sometimes it takes a pause, a reflection, a stillness to feel it, to hear it, to see it rustle the branches and the leaves. While courage looks fear in the eyes and says “move aside”, hope looks fear in the eyes and says “you will not prevail.” The reason why hope is so powerful is that there is a living hope only found in Christ and He is the strongest truest foundation you will ever find. Jesus is always faithful, He is so so good, He hears us, He sees us, and He calls us His beloved. While this season is not what anyone ever hoped to have to live through it is one we are living in and one that we can embrace each day with the confidence because He is on our side. It may seem like we are fighting this impending virus controlling our days, our interactions, and our lives right now, but we must remember that we have the Creator of the Universe fighting for us each and every moment, He controls our days, He is interceding for us, and He loves us. We may feel isolated but God is saying “don’t forget I’m always here.” We may feel lonely but God is saying “I’m your Father, your biggest fan, your best friend.” We may feel overwhelmed by anxiety but God says, “instead dwell in my overwhelming everlasting peace.” We may feel confused and angry, but God says “I created you, I made you, I have a purpose for you, there is purpose in this, be still.” We may feel a burden of fear, but God says “I am your living hope, abide in me.” There is no mountain He won’t climb up coming after us, so instead of waiting let’s go wander after the heart of Christ! There is always love, and joy and beauty and peace in the darkness. Our horizon might be clouded by the darkness right now, but that just means the good things that are continually present will just be illuminated brighter. Maybe it’s time to fully surrender and instead of saying God get me out of this, say God put your glory on display. Maybe we need only to be still.
I wrote this back in March, but my prayer is that whoever may read this would know that there is hope each and every day. I find myself sometimes discouraged by the heaviness and messiness of this crazy life, but when I stop and remember how good God is, I am encouraged. It’s so comforting to know the Creator of the universe is holding our hand and saying, “come on get up, you can do it, there is great joy ahead!” and because of that, I can live into the confidence that there is purpose in this season. I challenge all of us to ask ourselves: what would it look like this week to embrace change with the expectancy that God is doing BIG things in our lives and seek ways to live into this adventure instead of dwelling on what has been lost?!
♡ Alli
Alli loves spending quality time with friends, is a big fan of chai, and also loves to bake. AND she has a pet cow named Ulysses!! :)
