My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth! (NLT) Psalm 121:2
It would come as no surprise to anyone who has ever put on a big event that Reed’s Run is a ton of work. Most of the time, I flit about with the adrenaline of an alligator rustler accomplishing one task or another. This year; however, I have been having bouts of anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed. I really think that my main issue is that I have poured five years of my life into these four Reed’s Runs and now this is it.
Even though I seem to be accomplishing tasks a little slower than usual, my passion for keeping things rolling hasn’t waned. This past week, however, God has lead me to verses that have really helped me to remember that all of his promises are true, and that He truly cares for us. Just tonight as we were preparing for AWANA tomorrow, I was reminded of one of the verses that all my kids have learned.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your worries and cares to God, because He cares for you. (NLT)
Each and every day this week, God has reminded me that everything (including Reed’s Run) has a season, and that He has everything under control. All the to-do lists, the order forms, the financial concerns, the weather, the meetings – EVERYTHING is under His control. The success of Reed’s Run has less to do with us and more to do with God’s blessings on the event. Even though Daniel & I and our kids are the keepers of Reed’s legacy, the story ultimately belongs to God – who knew and loved Reed before we even met him.
Today I needed to run an errand at a neighborhood church. I know the Pastor, and we had a short visit about life and about the nature of the errand. Being the sweet gentleman that he is, he inquired how Reed’s Run planning was going. I don’t know what possessed me. Maybe it is the fact that I was standing in a church talking to a man of God. I stood there and was completely honest. I shared with Him about my feelings of anxiety. With tears, he walked over to his desk and shared what he had just been reading. He simply picked up his Bible to where it was already open, and shared a verse in the Psalms on anxiety.
Yes, I cried as he moved from the Psalms to Habakkuk 3:17 – 18
17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior. (NIV)
I cried even more. But in his gentle way this man reminded me that I had always praised the Lord in the storm so why should these planning days be any different. Even more revealing to my heart, than the sweet intervention on my emotions, was the fact that God had the whole meeting planned in the first place.
In honor of today’s blog, I am posting the official video of the song we have chosen for this year’s Reed’s Run official song. I guess I just needed a reminder of where my hope originates. Thank you, Lord, for giving me eyes to see your presence in all the ways you have helped me this week. My help and hope really did come from the Lord. But thank you for reminding me in lots of ways that the detail that matters the most is Your Love for all of us!