Lessons from Trixie, Part 4

For Labor Day weekend, I went with my sister and Trixie to go see my grandparents in Grandy, NC (it’s a teeny-tiny town you pass through on the way to the Outer Banks). We were all really excited about going and I got to leave work early, so we had a great drive that of course included some self-portraits along the way: 

After dinner I went to go get something out of my car, and Trixie seemed panicked that I had grabbed my keys and was slipping on my sandals without telling her that she was coming too. She started jumping up on me as if begging me not to abandon her. 

“Really? You think that I’m going to leave you?”

I couldn’t believe that she was really afraid that I was going to leave her. Did she really think that I’d brought her all this way, to my grandparents’ house, to abandon her? Doesn’t she trust me? Doesn’t she know me at all?

As all this was going through my head (yeah, it seems like my brain is either on overdrive or off), it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Oh wait.

I get it.

I do the same thing to God.

I’ll be standing in the place that He brought me to, the place that He prepared for me, and I suddenly freak out. “WAIT! What do I do NOW? Are you going to leave me here?”

God brought me here (spiritually, physically, emotionally … in every way) for a reason. He brought me this far. How can I NOT believe that He’s going to provide the next step, and the next step, and walk with me through this whole journey? How can I NOT trust Him?

There are numerous times in the Old Testament that God refers to Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now, I’m not a Bible scholar and I don’t pretend to be, so take what I’m about to say for what it is - just my opinion. When I hear that phrase “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,” I think about what God was saying about Himself - it’s not that that He “was” the God of those three men alone, but I think that He was reminding the people of Israel (and us) of what He had done, of his faithful acts on behalf of His people. He wanted the people of Israel to remember what He had done in and through those men, to remind them to trust Him because He had been, is, and always will be faithful.

“I brought you here.” I have heard it several times in my heart. It comes at times when the tears are falling and I feel scared. I have heard it before basketball games, before starting school at ASU, before taking the CPA exam, before moving to Raleigh, and before starting a new job. I’ve heard it on days when I’m rejoicing because, at least in that moment, everything seems to make sense; and I’ve heard it on days when nothing feels right and I feel confused. God has reminded me, and continues to remind me, that He has always been faithful to me. Has it always made sense? No. But was there ever any doubt that He was with me working His will in my life? No.

God always brings me to a place for a reason. And He’s not going to leave me.

My sister moved in with me almost two weeks ago, and I love having her with me. Living with your best friend is a beautiful thing, and my best friend is awesome. Right now, though, she is in a hard place of waiting. God is going to give her a wonderful job, but right now she is simply being patient. And she really is being patient; she’s been an example to me of patience and faith. When we were with my grandparents, my grandpa prayed for her. At one point in the prayer, he said, “God, we know that you didn’t bring her this far to leave her.” What a sweet truth. I smiled as God drove home the point one more time.

Of course He isn’t going to leave her.

God is faithful. He hasn’t left her yet, and He’s not going to.

And He hasn’t left me, and He’s not going to leave me. He will never abandon me.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) - “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”