These words ring true in so many ways. This last weekend I got to go back home to Wenatchee for a few days and honestly I was a little nervous to come back because I have been gone for so long. Today, I have been in Seattle for two months. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that so much has happened since I got here. Again, I've had my ups and I've had my downs but through it all these six words are always in the back of my mind: It Is Well With My Soul. While I was home I got to see and catch up with so many important people in my life, Wendy Little being one of them. As we were talking, she reminded me of the story of David and Goliath. David choose five smooth rocks from a stream to use for battle, and I can relate so much to those small little stones. Wendy told me that in order for a stone to become smooth, it has to be knocked around and warren with the current of the stream. Within this journey of mine I am in a stream, and I am a rock. As I bounce around I am losing my jagged edges and becoming smooth so I can be used to fly straight to my purposeful calling. The stream that I'm in at times can feel like a small little trickle and at other times it feels like the Tumwater rapids during spring run off. As I returned back to Seattle I was reading my devotional and the story of David and Goliath came up. It said to view the stones as your soul, to be smooth, not jagged and ready to be used. Being caught up in the stream can feel overwhelming at times but I have to remind myself of the work that is being done within me through the process, who I am working for, who is doing the mending and how I am changing.
As I look back and reflect on where this stream has taken me, one year ago today I returned home from the best three weeks of my life. Woodleaf- A Young Life Camp nestled in the forest of Northern California. It was here where I decided to take a leap of faith to start the steps of me coming to Seattle. At the time me moving wasn't on my mind, but rather the pure and honest relationship with my brother I have been longing for. As I took that first step off the shore and into the stream I was trusting in God wherever it takes me. The many months following Woodleaf were so good for me and my walk with God. As I dove head first I had to trust that through this process 'It Is Well With My Soul'. I had to loose my edges in order to be chosen for battle. Its been a long and bumpy road to get to where I am and picturing God telling me "Be strong, be steadfast, be willing" was such a motivation for me to keep following the stream. At times it will be hard to see where you're headed, but I assure you that God surely can. So hold tight to Him, to his love, knowing that He will never leave you. No uncertainty, broken dreams, or fear of the future can keep you from Him. He is with you always, in all of this. Trust Him. Let Him Gracefully lead you where you need to be. But also be prepared for the seasons when you'll barely be hanging on to God with an intellectual thread. Be ready to be honest in your dry valleys, and be ready to rejoice on the mountaintops. Enjoy both seasons, because they both help you grow and both have significance in our lives. The winter and fall teach you to grow deep roots into God even when you don't fell Him, and the summer and spring are those powerful weeks of blooming fruits and plentiful harvest that will have you laughing and crying at the same time. Soon you will see that loving Jesus really isn't up to you, He's the one who beckons, draws and calls us to Him. Loving Him is the easy part; God loving you cost His Son. The more you know that its less about you, the more free you will be to love God all the more and say 'It Is Well With My Soul'.