Hello there, blog fans! I’m sure most of you have seen the movie “Finding Nemo”, but for those of you who haven’t here is a brief run down for you. Nemo is a clown fish being raised by his single dad, Marlin. On Nemo’s first day of school he is captured by a scuba diver and taken to a fish tank in a local dentist’s office. The rest of the movie is about, well, finding Nemo. At the beginning of Marlin’s search for his son he runs into a blue tang named Dory. Dory decides she’s going to help Marlin search for his son, there’s just one small problem: Dory suffers from amnesia. As you can imagine this proves to be very frustrating for Marlin. For most of the movie he is stuck reminding Dory who he is, where they have been already, and where they are going.
In our Tuesday night home Bible study we have been talking about trials, the purpose of them, how to get through them, and how to help others get through them. At this week’s Bible study as we were sitting at the kitchen table talking about trials, the kids were watching “Finding Nemo” in the living room, so “Bam!” that’s when I was hit with the thought for this blog post. The thought struck me, “I am such a Dory!” I am guilty of getting in the middle of a trial and questioning how in the world I am ever going to get through it, completely forgetting the previous trials God has already brought me through.
Our church dedicates the first Sunday of the month to prayer, and we always bring Landon up to the front. A few weeks ago as Landon was being prayed for I began to feel myself get really discouraged. We all try really hard to stay positive, but we are all human and have our moments. I got to thinking about all these miracles I had seen God perform in the life’s of others, and I thought “Are we ever going to get our miracle???” In that moment I felt like God said to me “If I never do another thing for Landon, you have had 5 years of miracles.” It took my breath for a minute. I don’t think He was saying He is never going to heal Landon, I think He was saying “Look what I have already done! Don’t you see I am able! Have you forgotten who has already gotten Landon this far?”
In the middle of our trial it is so easy to forget where God has brought us from, and just how able He is. I think sometimes God feels a little bit like Marlin, having to remind us of where we’ve been, who He is, and that He will bring us through. The Bible says in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Whatever you are facing, He’s already overcome it for you!
You may say, “Well I’ve never faced a trial this big! How in the world is He going to bring me through it???” You will find in John chapter 11 the story of a man named Lazarus. His trial? He was dead! That didn’t stop Jesus! And you may say, “Well that was way back in Bible times, God doesn’t perform miracles like that anymore.” The Bible also says in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
The next time you find yourself in the middle of a trial you can’t see a way out of, just remember: the One who brought the dead back to life? He’s living in you, He is fighting for you, and He has already overcome the world.
Living, laughing, and loving,
LeeAnna
Living, Laughing, & Loving with Landon 