Today I want
to tell you about a moment last week – a moment in which I felt God’s kindness
so intensely, it almost felt like a little hug.
As you know, I’m teaching Acts
in our fall Growth Group (ladies’ Bible study). Last week I sat curled up on
the couch, buried in Bibles, commentaries, and study books, taking pages of
notes and getting more excited about what I learned as I dove in deeper than
ever before.
Right in the middle of the excitement,
notetaking, adrenaline, and joy, I received some tough news. It took my breath
away in a different sort of way, and I sat, still buried under books, trying to
figure out how I even felt. I started to pray, and I told God I really did
trust Him with the news at hand, but that didn’t make it easier to hear or
accept.
I glanced back down at my Bible,
which I had been highlighting just a moment before. The very next words ready
to receive a purple covering? “You will make me full of gladness with your
presence.”
Big gulp.
In all honesty, in that moment,
I didn’t feel full of gladness. I felt excitement for what I was learning mixed
with deep hurt.
And in that exact moment, God
reminded me that full gladness doesn’t come from any set of circumstances. It
comes from His presence. And whether my day brings excitement or heartache, I
can still be full of gladness because He’s there.
I feel this might be an ongoing
lesson. That day wasn’t the last hard day. I have to come back to this verse
often to remind myself of the truth of its words. But there was something wonderful
about seeing those words in the very moment my heart needed them. A hug indeed.
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