The Blessing

The pressure I feel to find success in this “extremely subjective” business hit it’s boiling point in early-May. I’d worn my brave face for weeks, but one especially wrenching rejection ahead of a HUGE contest announcement left me spiraling in the stakes that seemed higher-than-ever.

On Mother’s Day, we went to church, where we sung a song I’d never heard before. It was “The Blessing” by Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe, and Elevation Worship – performed by our church worship band. So very appropriate for Mother’s Day.

It starts out about general blessings on one’s life. But in the second part of the song, it says, “May His favor be upon you, and a thousand generations, and your family, and your children, and their children, and their children.”

As a mother, that resonated deeply with me. That blessing was a wonderful gift and exactly what a mother needs prayed over them! A perfect Mother’s Day anthem.

And then the song goes another step deeper, “May His presence go before you, and behind you, and beside you. All around you and within you. He is with you, He is with you.” Isn’t that a lovely reminder?

But finally the part that absolutely broke me, “In the morning, in the evening. In your coming and your going. In your weeping and rejoicing. He is for you, He is for you.”

And that was it. Full meltdown in the middle of church – trying not to scare the people around me with my quiet, sobbing face, and probable running mascara. HE IS FOR ME. I needed that reminder so badly. As things weren’t happening easily or expeditiously in my writing career, rejections and losses, and pretty much zero validation, I had forgotten that regardless, HE IS FOR ME.

And I’m taking that line literally. Think about it: as die-hard fans, we root for our team in both good times and bad, just as God is on my sidelines cheering me on. He is for me. He wants the very best for me and He is along on this journey, too.

And you know what continuously amazes me… He’s also on your sidelines! He is for you, too!

So as I glance through Twitter, watching other peoples’ dreams coming true, I now rejoice! I’ve even cried tears of joy for other’s big wins. Some I don’t actually know personally, but my heart bubbles over for them… And that joy usually comes with a dash of hope.

Now I listen to “The Blessing” several times a week to remind me that God is faithful, persistence pays, and even when it’s hard to understand the timing, He is still for me. What a powerful mindset adjuster!

Featured Image: Jemma and I last week at VBS – I served as a Crew Leader this year, rather than teaching in a classroom, as I had the two previous times. Phew! Wrangling 12 soon-to-be second graders is not for the faint of heart!