A Jesus-Hug

This was originally an article I wrote about what God showed me yesterday, but I wanted to go ahead and share it on the blog.  I hope it is encouraging!     Sometimes when life seems great and everything is just going smoothly and without incident, we as Christians seem to be “going great” in our walk with the Lord.  We don’t have a problem reading of God’s promises, like “My grace is sufficient for you,” because life is going great and we don’t “need” the promises then.  We are happy and content, and want to hug everyone.

Then something happens, and life comes crashing down, leaving you bewildered and frustrated.  It is in these times that we may not want the hugs, but we really want the hugs.  We look around for comfort from others, but secretly harbor anger at the Lord.  “How could God do this to me?” we wail.  “Why, Jesus?” We don’t realize that God just might just have a smile playing at the corners of His lips, or a twinkle in His eyes.

Sometimes when life gets tough, we easily lose our focus on the Lord, forgetting the promises He has given us, and His great love toward us.  We wonder, why all the heartache?  Why all the frustration?  Why such a terrible situation?  And we fail to notice that smile and that twinkle.

In my Wednesday night group last night at church, one of my pastors, who had recently lost his brother-in-law, sat down right in front of us and asked, “How do you respond when a brother dies?  Do you believe God is still in control then?”  After his challenge to us, one of the others in the group shared how his mom had explained God’s plan when he was frustrated at life a few years ago: like a quilt.  Life is like God stitching together a big quilt.  At the moment, we wonder why He chose to put those specific designs in, but in the big picture, it’s a beautiful, beautiful quilt.  He continued, saying, “And then, sometimes God just folds us into His arms, and points to that quilt, and says, ‘That’s what I was doing.’”  I love this analogy!  Isn’t that so true?!

Sometimes when life is hard and we can’t see the big picture, we need to remember that God is in control and He sees the picture.  Sometimes trusting God is also hard because we cannot touch or see Him.  But He still hugs us when we need it most, in a marvelous way.

Yesterday was one such day.  It was a very hard day for me, and many times I wanted to just cry.  Wednesdays are always busy days, and I was up early and almost ready by 7, so I was thinking that was a great start to a productive day.  I was ready! 

After I finished getting ready, I sat down on my bed with my laptop to email a friend.  And I couldn’t see the words. 

It took me several minutes to write out and double check a sentence, but the words were all splotchy and almost impossible to read.  I had only experienced this type of vision once before in my life, and I knew that it was because I must be getting a migraine.  But since the headache was not strong yet, I got up and decided to continue normally.

Throughout the morning, I had to look twice wherever I turned, because the first time, I didn’t see anyone in the room.  I had to look again to realize that three of my siblings were actually in the room!  The funniest part was when I stepped into the living room, and my brother was lying on the couch.  But because of my sight, he appeared headless to me.  I think I almost laughed.  Seriously, because of the way I was seeing things, my brother didn’t have a head!

            

Throughout the next few hours, I had an intense headache, was confused and said weird things and got a mild stomachache.  I ended up okay for my piano lessons, but had to cancel flute.  My plans for a “great, productive day” kinda were kinda not going well.  It was definitely not a “good day” in my book so far!

            

And then Jesus gave me a hug.

            

A package arrived in the mail from me from a friend.  I was speechless as I opened a beautiful book, journal, some sweet notes, and even another surprise too!  I felt immersed in love as I stared at the gift.  Afterwards, I was able to talk on the phone with her for the first time, and then go to church that evening.

            

That was my Jesus-hug.  I was having a bad day, wondering how I was going to get through with a migraine, and God ordained it that the package would come on that specific day.  It was a huge blessing and encouragement, and I was touched at the care my friend showed in her thoughtful gift.

            

Then the young man from our group gave that testimony, and inwardly I smiled.  I knew exactly what he was talking about.  How God gives hugs.

           

If you’re discouraged right now, or feel that life has caved in on you, be reminded of that quilt, and know that Jesus just might be smiling and have a twinkle in His eye.

Something weird happened to the camera,
but I thought it was so cool how it turned out,
so I wanted to share it with you :)

What are some Jesus-hugs you have received lately?