It's the Beginning

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call upon him now while he is near. Let men cast off their wicked deeds; let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy upon them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon! This plan of mine is not what you would work out, neither are my thoughts the same as yours! For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than yours. Isaiah 55: 6-9 (TLB)

Sherry Graf is from Colorado. "Why do you think the path ends here?" the tour guide asked while they wandered the carefully curated grounds surrounding the castle. Sherry's nine-year- old son volunteered, "Maybe it isn't the end; maybe it's the beginning." Everyone smiled at this insightful perspective.

Several years earlier this same son had struggled to keep up with handwriting in kindergarten, and that seemed like an ominous start to his education. After much prayer they took him out of public school and began teaching him at home. The end of Sherry's son's public education was the beginning of many years if their learning together, including that castle tour with their homeschool friends.

Life is full of roadblocks, and we can become discouraged thinking we have reached the end. Isaiah reminds us that God's ways are different than ours. God's perspective on our situation is much different than our limited view. Sherry's son's observation on the path that day reminds her to trust God's perspective no matter the circumstances and have hope that what seems like an ending might also be a beginning.

Prayer: Dear God, help us trust that you know our needs. Turn us from despair, and help us to walk in faith, in Jesus' name. Amen.