Sometimes God Isn't Subtle

This week, while my kids were away at Scout camp, I spent every morning as "Scout Sandy the Storyteller" at my church's Vacation Bible School. 

Our theme was "True North," an Alaskan outdoors setting with the overall mantra of "We Can Trust Jesus." Each day focused on a different Bible story illustrating that when we think/feel/need X, we can... [everybody shouts] TRUST JESUS!

On Monday, I taught the story of Jesus' baptism by John (Matthew 3). We learned that when John baptized Jesus, he clearly heard God Himself announce, "This is my son, with whom I am well pleased." And yet, when John was persecuted and thrown in prison, he sent friends to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" John wondered. He doubted. Jesus sent the men back to John, pointing out His miracles and proclamation of the good news of salvation, reassuring John that even when he wondered, he could...TRUST JESUS!

On Tuesday, I taught Jesus' parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15), where a good shepherd leaves his 99 sheep to find a single one who is lost. We pretended to be sheep, wandering away from the shepherd and being lost and afraid in the dark, surrounded by dangers like marauding animals, sharp thorns, and rocky cliffs, until the Good Shepherd came and led us back to safety. We learned that when we feel alone, we can...TRUST JESUS! 

On Wednesday, I taught the story of the Roman centurion whose servant was sick (Matthew 8), and he was frustrated that he was powerless to make him well. But he trusted Jesus so completely that when Jesus offered to come to his house and heal his servant, the centurion told Him, "Just say the word, and my servant will be healed." And he was! It taught us that when we feel powerless, we can...TRUST JESUS!

On Thursday, I taught the story of Jesus' death and resurrection (Matthew 28). We imagined how the disciples must have felt when Jesus died, like it was the end of something wonderful, and how they must have lost hope in Jesus. But we learned how Jesus' death was part of God's plan to defeat sin and allow us to be forgiven, and that His resurrection brought hope back to the disciples. It taught us that when we need hope, we can...TRUST JESUS.

And on Friday, I taught the story of the Great Commission (Matthew 28), when Jesus gave the disciples one last command before He returned to heaven, telling them to "...go and make disciples of all nations." We talked about how impossible that must have felt, without knowing foreign languages or having a fast and easy way to travel. But I also taught the story of Pentecost (Acts 2), when Jesus sent the disciples the Holy Spirit to help them fulfill the job they could never have done alone. It taught us that when we need help, we can...TRUST JESUS. 

Every day this week, I have needed that reminder. When I cried all the way to the church that first morning, I wondered how I would ever make it through the week. But I trusted Jesus. And I made it through. When I went to bed that night in an empty house and got up in an empty house on Tuesday morning, I felt totally alone. But I trusted Jesus. And I got to church with friends who loved me and hugged me and gave me a giant cinnamon roll and I didn't feel so alone anymore. Then on Wednesday, I checked my mailbox hoping to find some documents that would let me move forward with the bureaucratic red tape with a looming deadline and they weren't there, and I felt completely powerless. But I trusted Jesus. And after I got home that afternoon I tried filling out the forms anyway and everything seemed to go through and it was like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. On Thursday morning I made the mistake of closing my husband's email with the intent of restarting it to get rid of some weird bugs it was having, and I realized I didn't have to password to reopen it, and I had a complete panic attack and lost hope that I would ever be able to recover it. But I trusted Jesus. And a dear friend helped me troubleshoot and figure out how to fix it. This morning, I looked at my "to do" list and felt overwhelmed at how much I need to do in the very near future, and all I could think was, "Help." But I trusted Jesus. And now as I look at the same list, I can see some things that need to be crossed off, not because I did them, but because I let other people help me. 

I didn't even know how much I needed to be reminded to TRUST JESUS this week. But God knew. When we don't even know what we need, we can TRUST JESUS. Because He does. And sometimes, he's not very subtle about it.