Chosen Grace

Last week, I was at the gas station about to fill my car up with gas because the next day, I had to get up early for work.

As I stepped outside of my car, money in hand, I sauntered into the gas station, paid for my gas, and suddenly remembered that my keys were inside my car.

And the doors to my car were locked.

I didn’t want to let panic show on my face, so I casually pumped my gas and immediately called my Daddy. I told him what had happened and minutes later, he came with a neighbor who had the tools to help me get my keys from my car. All was well….or so it seemed.

A week passed and I was back at the same gas station, on the same day of the week, and guess what? I locked my keys inside of my car – again.

So after paying for and pumping my gas, I called my Daddy and soon my neighbor was there to help me.

This should have been the end of my story, but it was not. Two days later, I lost my Apple Pencil and no matter how hard I looked (and flipped living room pillows), I still couldn’t find it.

But, it was only when I stopped, cleaned up, and rested – that I found it.

Now, I’m telling you all about this, not to prove the point that I misplace things a lot (which I do), but these experiences point to a deeper lesson which I want to share with you today.

You see when my keys were locked in my car and my Apple Pencil missing, I couldn’t operate how I normally would. With my keys in my car, I couldn’t continue my route of going home and getting started on my lecture – which I like to use my IPad and Apple Pencil for. In both situations, I hit an unexpected stop and I was forced to stop, pause, and be still.

Let’s look at a passage of Scripture that embodies this.

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

– Psalm 46:10, NIV

In this Psalm written by the Sons of Korah, God commands his children to be still and know that He is God.

This art of being still in fast-paced world seems futile and foreign, but with God – being still is everything.

You see, to ‘be still’ in Hebrew comes from the Hebrew word, “rapha“, which means to be weak, to let go, to relax, to sink down. In the original verse, then, God could very well be saying “Let go and relax, knowing that I am God”.

As I waited for my Dad to come and check on me at the gas station, I had no choice but to let go. Tugging on my car door or beating on the window thinking that either would magically open was futile. Instead, I had to relax – leaning on my car door and embracing my situation.

And while waiting on a car door to be unlocked to be far from your current situation, God could very well be challenging you to let go, relax, or simply to be still.

You see, in life, there will be unexpected stops. But it’s how we handle these periods of stillness that matters.

Our society today encourages us to fix our own problems fast, from easing hunger at a fast-food joint to getting overnight shipping on an item we desire. Everything seems to be moving at a rate that only a racehorse could keep up with.

But God often encourages us to do the opposite. Instead of trying to figure out our own problems, He invites us to lay them at His feet. He encourages us to rest in His bosom.

Now, I speak firsthand and say that this can be extremely difficult. As a self-proclaimed mover and shaker, not being able to go when you want to sucks.

To be fully transparent I’m in this season right now. I’m in a stopped place that I never expected. And y’all – it hurts. I don’t like it and I’d rather continue the journey.

But God has decided to pump the brakes. And while it’s uncomfortable, I’ve learned that these stopped places make room for God to work. These are the places that God calls us to a deeper rest with Him.

Unexpected stops are the places where God cleans us up and allows us to dig deeper roots in Him.

More importantly, unexpected stops are the places where we rest and God works on our behalf. It is in these stops that God prepares the way for us, whether we can see it directly or not.

And if you don’t believe me, we can take the examples of Sarah and Abraham as they waited for a child, David as he hid from King Saul, Ruth as she waited on her Kinsman redeemer, and more. Each of these examples hit unexpected stops on their journey. But as God promises each of us in Romans 8:28 – all things worked together for their good.

Unexpected stops are unexpected. But they are indeed good for us.

So, as I draw this blog post to a close, I want to encourage you all that whenever God has you pausing on your journey – trust that He is working everything out for your good, even if it is uncomfortable.

With a new appreciation for unexpected stops,

Malaysia 🙂