Day 9

Years ago, in the midst of a particularly chaotic season of life, God showed me a vision of a carousel. The very center of the carousel was cut out and I was standing in the middle. All around me, the carousel was packed full of stuff - packed to the brim with all kinds of knick knacks and junk, the random things of life. Suddenly, the carousel began to spin at warp speed, with things flying right and left, and there in the midst of the chaos, completely consumed by my surroundings, was me. All of a sudden a light shown down on me from directly above. When I looked up, I began to rise above all the chaos that surrounded me. It was still there, and I was still
in the middle of it, but I was no longer affected by it.

Over the years, I’ve gone back to this image many times as a reminder that when life feels overwhelming I usually need to adjust my focus. When my focus was on the carousel, I was consumed. But when I shifted my focus towards God, that’s when things started to change. Isaiah 26:3 (ESV) states, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Choosing to focus on God despite the problems we’re facing isn’t a sign of naive, blind faith but rather a declaration of total dependence and trust in God and Who He is. When we trust fully in God, we don’t have to know how every little detail will work out because we know that
He is working all things together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

During those moments where life feels overwhelming and uncertain, take a moment to stop and refocus your attention. Put some praise music on, quote your favorite scripture, or reflect on some of the ways God has been faithful in your life. We do have a scriptural promise after all that as we draw closer to God, He will draw closer to us (James 4:8).

Heather Roland

Song: Hallelujah Even Here
Artist: Lydia Laird