Trusting
God With “Whatever!”
By Karen D’Amore
“Trust in the
Lord with all your heart...”
As an extreme “creature of habit,”
I’m most comfortable with the routine and familiar elements in my daily life.
My daily regimen is etched with repetition, including servicing the same familiar
clients, week after week. A proverbial struggle is when my flesh resists those
periodic disruptions to my routine (comfort zone). A recent season, in which
God has been unlocking doors to the new and unfamiliar, has translated into a
litany of new, unfamiliar clients on my appointment books.
Jane (not her real name) was a most
recent new, pedicure client. When I learned from the receptionist of Jane’s oddly
disturbing behavior and numerous phone calls while booking her appointment, I
had perplexing concerns about servicing this new client. On the morning of
Jane’s appointment, I was overcome by a wave of anxiety as I anticipated her
evening pedicure. Stressing to the point of nausea, the salon bathroom became
my temporary prayer closet. While I was praying over the appointment, God
impressed upon my heart the word…whatever.
I was reminded to practice what I’ve been
preaching for many years! I believe that as Christ-followers we can trust that
“whatever” passes through our life…was first sifted through the hands of God.
So as I anticipated this unfamiliar client, who had already displayed warning
signs of a potential nightmare, I felt God asking me, “Will you trust me with
this...whatever ?!” Trusting and
believing that God was allowing this “whatever” for His express purpose, I
chose faith over fear and embraced the “disruption” as a potential ministry
opportunity.
Jane’s sixty-plus minute appointment
turned into an adventure resembling Disneyland’s’ Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride! I
quickly learned that Jane, who suffers with severe OCD, is a patient in a local
treatment facility. Unfamiliar with this condition, I followed the Holy
Spirit’s leading, in my dialoging with Jane. While her condition made our
interaction frustrating and at times annoying to me, God faithfully infused my
heart with supernatural patience and compassion. And as God gradually peeled
back the complex layers of this troubled young lady, I soon learned that her
condition has derailed her (once strong) faith in God - - leading her down a path of perceived
hopelessness.
Like a divinely-scripted scenario
from an inspirational stage show, God appointed this opportunity to encourage
Jane and steer her back into a relationship with Him. As we exchanged hugs,
Jane professed her hunger to re-unite with God and trust Him with her disorder.
Confident that this appointment was a divine disruption and definitely a God-allowed
whatever, the experience served to deepen my trust and
readiness to trust God with those future…whatevers.
Are you willing to cup-open your
hands and trustingly pray: Whatever…Lord?
GOING
DEEPER:
1. How’s your trust?
FURTHER
READING:
Married to Dan, Karen, a retired
police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon. She
serves on the Oakwood Women’s Ministry Special Events planning team.
