Jesus is THE Way... Even in a Pandemic

Hello everyone! It has been a HOT minute since I posted a blog but I am back today to share a word with you.

If this year has gone exactly how you'd planned the whole world would call you out on it right now. 2020 is one of those years that my controlling nature has been amplified and then thrown into the ocean. From jobs lost to school cancelled, to moving, to people getting sick, to being away from church and friends, this year has been a whirlwind for everyone, but that is why I wanted to post this blog today.

I have been reading the book of John for the past few months and there have been so many lessons and beautiful moments of learning more and more about God, but one of the biggest I have seen is Jesus is THE WAY.

Let's open our Bibles to John 14. But first I want to give a little context. This moment takes place moments before Jesus is to be betrayed. He washed his disciples feet and has just foretold that Peter is going to deny Jesus' name 3 times.

Starting in verse 1 of chapter 14 Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." Now this alone should be such a comfort to us. But looking back at the context of what is going on it makes this even more significant. Peter was just told that he would deny Jesus, the one who he left everything for a few years prior. This was probably crushing to Peter. He was the rock. He was supposed to be strong. Yet in this moment he was told he would deny Jesus at a critical moment. If this were me I would feel totally crushed. Yet the first thing Jesus does is tells them to not be troubled and believe in him.

Believing and fear do not get along. Fear is taking away your trust from the hands of God. I know fear has taken a hold of us all at some point this year, but something I have learned is that God is faithful and he is our Father. A good father does what is best for his children. He does not leave them hanging, but guides and protects them. Sometimes he lets them learn lessons the hard way because he knows through his own wisdom that the hard way is sometimes the best way to learn a lesson.

Let's now skip down to verse 5-6 "Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' 6 Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" The disciples still have questions. Jesus has been talking about a house he has prepared and this way. They are confused as to where and how they will find the way once he leaves. But Jesus makes it simple... "I am the way."

We try so hard to find the purpose in every moment of our lives, especially when all of our plans don't go our way, but Jesus made it simple, he is THE way. I find myself asking a lot "Lord whats the way? Where should I go?" But as I read this passage that I have read thousands of times this time I heard him whisper, "Do not let your heart be troubled Adeline. I have prepared a place for you. I am THE way. No need to keep searching because you already found me."

I have spent so much time in my life searching to find out that I already knew the way. He has been right in front of me all along.

Bob Goff has said that we make the gospel way too complicated, Jesus loves everyone so much he died for us, so we should probably love everyone too, God will sort them out later.

Maybe we should stop making things so complicated and just rest in the fact that no matter the circumstances of life, Jesus is the way. No matter what does not go "right" as long as we love God and love those around us, I think everything will be alright.

All my plans this year went to the trash. Basically nothing I had planned has happened this year, but I have had one constant and that is Jesus. Lots of moments that would not have happened that have been such a blessing to my life would not have happened either. Moments with my best friend in STL for the Fourth of July, moments in a waterfall in one of the coolest places ever with my boyfriend, moments with my parents in probably the longest stretch of time I will ever spend with them again, moments of peace and quiet in my room with the Lord, and moments where I realize how much I truly love where I go to school because of how much I miss it. Maybe that's the lesson he's been trying to teach me. No matter the plans I make, if I rest in Him I do not have to plan every single day of my life. God knows what I needed long before I could ever see it. He knew exactly what I needed; he gave me rest, time with family, and lots of special moments with Him that could not have happened otherwise. I think that's the beauty of leaving your heart open to God, you get to see beauty in how he transforms your simple plans into a masterpiece that looks nothing like the simple vision we had in mind.

Trust in Jesus. Do not let your heart be troubled, Jesus is the Way, the truth, and life.