Trust In The Lord - Even When You Feel Like You're Drowning

 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 

in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

This is my very favorite scripture, so when I found an app that allowed me to make shapes with words, I thought that this would be a great way to use part of this scripture in a heart shape.  A friend also took the picture to use on Facebook for her page, and she told me an illustration the other day that fit perfectly with this story.

My friend and her family have been going through several trials in their lives for the past several months.  It would have been easy to get down and depressed, but she didn't - they didn't. And they didn't because of their faith in God.  Her older child, now living in another state with a husband and child of her own, asked how she was doing it...how she was surviving with all of these trials in life.  The mother, my friend gave this illustration:

"When you feel like you're surrounded by water and feel like you could drown, keep your faith. Use that time to look around at all you see when you're under the water.  There are different fish and sea creatures under the water that you can't see when you're above. Look at the pretty colors.  Look at all of God's creation that you don't typically get to enjoy.  Finding those things - those good things - will help you get through the times that you feel you might could drown."

Oh, I loved her illustration!  She put into words exactly what this scripture is saying!  She was acknowledging God through her trials and He was/is making her paths....and her families' paths.... straight!  She was finding good through the bad. She was staying positive instead of getting pessimistic.

My friend is finally beginning to come up to the surface, after these three months of being under the water. God has blessed her and her family and she is confident - and I am confident - He will continue to do so.  But things will be changing as a result of this blessing.  My friend and her family will be moving.  That's the part that saddens me because I'm selfish, but the part that shows me that God's plans are higher than our plans.

To further her illustration, I thought about being under the water and resurfacing to find that the land had changed. Where you entered the water may not be where you come up from the water, and sometimes that coming up results in change.  Maybe it's people who have changed, maybe your surroundings changed, maybe the circumstances changed, but maybe, like with my friend, your land has changed.  If so, hold tight to this scripture: Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  Repeat it over and over again.  And He will, without a doubt, make your paths straight....even when you feel like you're drowning.