Powerfully Present

The pressures of ministry seem to be creeping up on me lately. I seem to have lost my “spark” for visioning for the future. That’s my gift, and it’s what I like to do. I see the big picture and I try to surround myself with people that can help catch the smaller details. Lately though I have been consumed by other “stuff”.  What happens when all the “stuff” of the world creeps in on you? What do you do? What do you do when you feel like you are giving your all but God isn’t showing up? What do you do when you cast vision but few seem inspired? What do you do when criticism comes at you left and right? What do you do in those times of your life when you feel like you are a hamster on a wheel? We all have those times. Last week during one of my low points I was searching scripture and came upon the story of Joseph.  I could identify with him. Bottom of a well? You bet! He was thrown in a well, sold into slavery, falsely accused of rape, and ultimately imprisoned. Ok, so I started feeling a little better about my situation. And yet, right there in the middle of this BIG story there’s these words, “And the Lord was with Joseph.” What? I thought when the Lord was with you things are supposed to be going well. Don’t you agree? Isn’t it interesting that when things aren’t going well we always default to feeling as though God has abandoned us. And yet the truth in Joseph’s story-which is our story- is that God is most powerfully present even when it seems He is most apparently absent. We don’t get to choose when bad things will happen to us, but we do get to choose how we will respond. Joseph’s response was one of faith, and in that choice lies an amazing amount of hope.