Don't Worry, Be Happy

Have you ever prayed for more faith and then are surprised how God answers that prayer? It’s like wanting a flat stomach and then realizing you actually have to diet and exercise. It seems that you don’t just wake up one morning spiritually stronger; you actually have to exercise faith in order to strengthen it. Bummer!

It all started on a shuttle bus to a Caribbean cruise for my 20^th wedding anniversary. We planned this vacation because our 10^th anniversary cruise was perfect. We enjoyed amazing couple time while our daughter loved being in the kids program. Funny how God can take our human plans and say, “Forget those, I have something better for you.”

He used a very funny Jamaican bus driver to impart some very wise words that would become our family slogan for the entire trip. While stuck in traffic on the way to the ship, our driver said, “No problems. In life, there are no problems, man, only situations. It all works out in the end.” I laughed along with all the other passengers, but little did I know that those words would become a spiritual life lesson.

You see it seems that it’s a lot easier to get a 4-yr old into the kids program than a 13-yr old. At 4, we’d have to beg her to finish breakfast. At 13, she’d poke her head in and run out. By the second day of our cruise, I could see my hubby getting anxious about all the couple activities he had planned. He had scheduled a couple’s massage and a spa package that included a secluded area for adults with saunas, Jacuzzis, fluffy robes, and warm tile loungers.

The package also included a one-hour private pampering session that came with “special instructions” from a spa therapist. Sounds scary, I know! While hubby couldn’t wait, my mom brain kicked into full panic mode. How am I going to schedule couple time when I have parenting responsibilities? For some reason, dads don’t worry about this as much as moms. By the time we went into the private session, I was a complete stress-mess. Because even though I had my daughter safely situated and the rational side of my brain was telling me she’d be fine, the irrational side of my brain was imagining all sorts of dangerous scenarios, like pirates taking over the ship, kidnapping, and so on.

So, like all good wives, I put on a fake smile and mentally lectured myself, “Yolanda, your husband paid a lot of money for this. I command you to relax!” About 10 minutes into our pampering session, while hubby is exfoliating my skin with the same intensity as a construction worker sanding wood, and I’m managing to smile without wincing, a loud alarm goes off in the spa. I’m thinking, “That’s a sign! It’s time to get out of here! Pirates have taken over the ship!!” Hubby just keeps exfoliating saying, “Don’t worry. Relax!”  Meanwhile my stress level has escalated to near heart attack level and I’m thinking to myself, “Seriously, Lord. I can’t do this.” There’s a reason why the layman is not supposed to exfoliate others. Exfoliating is serious business and should be left to trained professionals who, may I say, don’t get paid enough. The more I stressed, the harder my poor hubby was trying to get me to relax, and the guiltier I felt. I suddenly get this thought running through my head, “Yolanda, trust Me. Trust Me to take care of your daughter. Be present in the moment.”  I took a deep breath, “OK Lord. I’ll try.”

But it seems that it would take a few more “situations” for God to get His point across. Because even though I thought I was trusting, I really wasn’t. Situations like all of our planned excursions being cancelled and having to “wing it” on our own. Have I mentioned I don’t do well with spontaneity? I prefer my life planned, orderly, and with minimal risk. Now combine “winging it” with a travel advisory from the Captain of crime against tourists on some of the islands. Let’s just say I’m having mini panic attacks every time I get off the ship. My husband, on the other hand, likes to test his survival skills and my daughter should have been born Jamaican because she kept saying, “No problems, Mom, just situations.”

At one port, we literally have no idea of where to go or who to trust. Surrounded by taxi drivers clamoring for our attention, my husband asks, “What’s the best beach to snorkel? Take us there.” So we are loaded on this old van and off we go higher and higher, through the mountains of the Caribbean, no beach in site, and it starts to rain. My daughter is laughing at the stress that is literally emanating from my body, quoting her favorite Jamaican, when I suddenly see a sticker on the bus driver’s dashboard that reads,

“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

I started to laugh thinking, “OK LORD. I get it.”  Not only did God protect us that day; He also blessed us with the most beautiful weather and some of the sweetest people I have ever met. 

As the week progressed and more situations came up to test my faith, you’d think I’d finally embrace the Jamaican philosophy. Nope. It took a one-on-one appointment with The Lord for that. On day 4, I’d left 2 sun-burnt people in the cabin napping. I’m waiting to buy aloe gel from the gift shop and I have ½ hour to wait until the store opens. I decide to watch the ship’s departure from the very top level of the ship. As I make my way the very edge, I see the most breath-taking scene; the island beauty in the background, the sun setting over the ocean, and ships in the harbor. But what do I do? I start stressing! Oh gosh, I forgot my camera in the cabin. I need my camera! I have to capture this on film! Should I go back to the cabin and get it? But then I’ll wake up the sunburned and have to endure their whining. What should I do? Suddenly I imagine an almost exasperated voice in my brain, “Yolanda!!! Can’t you just be in the moment? You don’t need your camera to record this moment. Just be here with ME and record it in your heart and mind.” Contrite, I apologize to God, and decide to prove my trust by climbing onto the railings of the ship. I stretch my arms wide and reenact the famous Titanic “I’m the king of the world” scene…

OK, I didn't do that because that would be embarrassing and it’s against the rules to climb on the railing. Also, I don’t need to endanger myself to prove my trust. But, FINALLY, I was able to quiet my spirit long enough to be in the moment. And for a glorious ½ hour it was just God and I enjoying the sunset. It was by far the best moment of the entire cruise.

So why do I think that God allowed all these situations to come up? Why did He prepare me before the cruise even started through the words of a Jamaican bus driver? Because He knows that my biggest weaknesses are fear, anxiety, and the desire to control every situation; and these weakness are threats to my faith. There’s a storm brewing. If you are a Believer who watches the news and reads your Bible, you see the warning signs of the coming storm and you hear the alarm bells ringing in your spirit. God reminded me that in order to survive the coming storm, I need to 1) be present in the moment. God promises to guard me and keep me in perfect peace if I keep my mind focused, fixed, stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). In other words, concentrate on being with Him in the present. Don’t focus on the future because I can’t control it. And 2) I must trust Him with everything. Not just speak empty words of trust but exercise trust. Like our muscles, trust must be built. We strengthen that trust when we lean on Him daily.

And just like my hubby wanted me to relax in the pampering room, secure in his presence, while the alarm bells were ringing, I was reminded that Jesus is my ultimate Bridegroom. If I stay as close as possible to Jesus, sheltered in His presence, then I can be at peace while the alarm bells are sounding. Keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus, getting to know Him more and more through His Word, hiding His promises in my heart, is the only way to have confident hope that He’ll work out all things in the end. 

I debated whether or not to write this devotion because some will read this and think, “You call those situations. I have real problems like illness, divorce, persecution, and grief?” I felt unworthy to write about hardships but then I read the following verse: The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:23 (NLT) God’s Word reminded me that He delights in every detail of our lives. Not just the details of some people’s lives, but the seemingly insignificant details of mine. So, I figured it was OK for me to use humor in this devotion as long as I got the message across that I believe He wants me to share. Here’s the message: He loves you! No matter what your situation is, big or small. He loves you! He cares about every detail of your life. And we can either see insurmountable problems or we can see every situation as an opportunity to trust God. And when we put our trust in Him, God promises to work out “every detail of our lives” into something good. Romans 8:28 (MSG) 

So repeat after me, “In life, there are no problems, man, just situations. It all works out in the end.” And that’s an unbreakable promise from our Heavenly Father who loves us. So thank you Jesus for loving us so much that you care about every detail of our lives. Amen and amen.   

Love,

Yolanda

Woke up this morning with this song in my heart....

If you have 30 minutes, I urge you to watch this interview of Jim Caviezel. Be sure to rewind it to the very beginning to watch the entire interview. The first time I watched this video, I felt compelled to watch it 4 times that same day. And I've watched the last 7 minutes of this video at least 2 times a week since then. It's my own personal message of encouragement from God. If you need a personal message of encouragement from God, I pray you listen to this video through the ears of the Holy Spirit and be encouraged. ( Link to Jim Caviezel's interview.)