"Last night I had a dream that I slept the whole day through.
I awoke to find that my alarm clock was ringing
but I had no sense of truth.
Something was hidden deep inside
Behind the curtain of my shame
Behind the wall of my pride
A fog covered me
rain clouds forming overhead.
I haven't been able to see in the days since."
- Original Poem entitled "The Fog"
"Forgive my tardiness; it takes me so long to awaken to some things." - Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for his Highest"
As I drove to work one morning, I remember a dark fog settling on the road, making visibility almost an impossibility. Lucky for me, the thickness of the fog was subdued by the short time it took to drive through it, but that was 10 seconds where I could not see the road ahead.
Doesn't life feel like that sometimes? A simple analogy, but the morning fog seems to manifest itself in my heart and mind, only it doesn't break up in 10 seconds. It stays, for days, for weeks, for months. It stays. Lingering thick around me.
In those moments I can't see Jesus for who He is, Almighty Lord and Savior, capable of anything. Capable of restoring my heart, healing my wounds, being present with me in all of life's ups and downs. I certainly don't fear him as Lord. Obeying Him seems moot when I can't even perceive what it is I am to obey.
When the fog settles in my life, I fight. I fight with everything I have. I get up, I press on, I try to do what is right, I sleep, I wake up and fight again.
Only problem is I'm still blind. For all my fighting, the fog doesn't seem to lift. What now? How about filling up my life with distractions. TV, Sports, Music, To-Do list, work, my calendar, other people. Surely one of these things with make the fog go away.
Nothing. It's still there. Despite my best efforts I still have yet to perceive the truth of Jesus Christ and his love for me. So I give up. I submit.
Wait. That's it. That has to be it. It's tiny, but I feel a glimmer of hope. Peace seems to be in reach. Light fills the tunnel. Submission, letting go, taking His hand, admitting my weakness, letting Him fight for me. That's it.
The fog in our lives can seem thick and endless. We try to hope, to press on, but we just can't see the road ahead. So we keep driving, and most often we crash.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6
"He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” - Psalm 46:10
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” - Exodus 14:14 (emphasis mine)
Let's be honest, life can be painful, the days can be hard to face. Continuing to wake up and deal with people and all the demands of life can seem daunting. Given enough time and enough wear and tear on our hearts, even the strongest of us will crumble.
We need only to be still. To actually be still. I need only to be still, trust in the Lord, lean not on my understanding, submit to Him.
He shines a massive light in our darkness, restores our hearts, gives us strength to face the day. He empowers us to be gentle and responsive to His love daily where once before we may have approached each day with our defenses up and our hearts disconnected.
This is not what we were created for. We were created to have life and have it to the full, and it's only through the fullness of our creator God than this can be attained. It takes daily submitting to Him. Daily trusting Him. Daily letting Him fight for us.
The fog is no match for the fighting Father.
