Normal content (including the rest of the “why be holy?” series) will be back on the blog soon. In the meantime, here’s some musings on how I’ve been seeing God’s provision and blessing in a way I did not expect over the last month.
At the end of last year I had moved away from the city I consider home. It was meant to be a short stay with family while I went on a mission trip, finished off a few projects, hunted for a job and found somewhere to live. However, my rental contract back home had expired and appropriate places to live that were affordable while still unemployed were rarely coming up. This left me stuck in a city where I had hardly any friends for several months. It looked like I was going to be there for a lot longer than planned which was a frustrating and lonely prospect.
Every few weekends I would make the long drive back to where I had been living to visit friends and attend social events. On one such weekend I found myself getting frustrated and upset as I drove between events in different parts of the city. I knew that I was meant to be back in that city but that the next day I would have to leave it all behind yet again. I was not happy with God at all and let him know it. Later that day I found myself at a ministry event where a song with the line “You make all things work together for my good” was played. I didn’t feel like singing that. It didn’t feel like there was much working anything together for my good going in in my life. I didn’t understand why God appeared to be ignoring me. But sing the song I did, even if it was a bit mumbled.
Just a few days after returning from that frustrating trip, I checked my Facebook notifications and among all the mostly trivial updates something caught my eye. It was a message from a friend of a friend letting me know that one room had become available in their sharehouse. The place was pretty much everything I’d wanted in somewhere to live- among other specifics that I’d have Christian housemates, it was affordable on my tight budget, was in a particular side of the city and was near public transport. It seemed very much like my prayers were being answered and so I leapt at the opportunity. After a flurry of making arrangements I paid the bond for it just seven days after I had the meltdown while driving. If there was any doubt that this was indeed God’s provision, it evaporated when I noticed on Google maps it was only a few blocks from the street where I had gotten frustrated with God a week earlier! God certainly has a sense of humour! I never could have guessed that while I was having my pity party that walking distance away people I’d never met were making arrangements that would end up being the answer to my prayers.
And so in the last month I’ve been caught up in the surprise beginnings of this new stage. There is always a lot to do when moving house! It has also been a time of learning and growing. Previously I’d been living in an environment where there was people around but I lived largely independently for most things. Living in a share-house community is a fun but somewhat new and stretching experience. Perhaps those are ponderings for another post sometime! I’m excited to see what God will do while I’m here.
