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How Will You Spring Forward with God?

03.06.2019 by Tracy Stella //

Welcome to FACETS of Faith and our team of friends, who also happen to write with one another. Our goal remains to engage in authentic friendship and life, often explored through writing.  We were friends first. We have met new ones like you who read and engage with us.  Thank you!  We are blessed to have you stop by, and we pray God meets you each time you do. Like a seed, we pray God brings His work in and through you (and us) to full blossom.

This month we mull over the topic:  How Will You Spring Forward with God?

How Will You Spring Forward With God? (T. Stella)

In like a lion, out like a lamb.

It’s right about now we hanker for melting snow, warmer weather, and spring blossoms, not to mention color variation which includes a spectrum other than white.  However, we have a few more weeks of fluffy (or frozen) white stuff and winds that still cut to the bone no matter how many years we live to see a season change.

We can get a sense of false hope the weather has broken and spring’s arrival is surely here with an unseasonably sunshine infused warm day. But then March roars like a lion to remind us spring is on its way but hasn’t sprung yet. Winds fierce and strong cause us to wonder whether we can hold out for spring’s tulips to greet us as they gently wave in the wind. Oh, fragrant flowers and lush green grass we long for you to come!  Will the weather ever shift?

Doesn’t our walk with God sometimes feel like that?

We want roses, no thorns.

We want run the race, not perseverance.

We want Jesus to calm the storm. No winds. No waves.

We want what we want when we want it (especially if we’re from the western world comprised of short attention spans and instant gratification).  We’re all for, how to lose 10 lbs in 10 days. We don’t want the wait to lose the weight. We don’t want the work to lose the weight. If the wind wanted to do anything useful, it could blow those fluffy extra pounds off.

Oh, if wishes could only do that, we’d all have the self-image we want.  (Or would we?)

I’d like to talk about three strategies to help us spring forward with God in spite of life’s storms, because when storms arise, we need a good plan to weather them well!

Pray in Advance of a Storm to Spring Forward With God

While wishes won’t do us much good, prayer will. We can pray for things big. We can pray for things small. And then we can lean in with God and do the work He calls us to do – the stuff that requires perseverance even when the winds seem as if they might blow us over.

We’ve all had those moments. Earth shaking. Soul piercing. The experiences that require digging our feet deep into nutrient rich soil, so we won’t get blown over during a storm that comes into our life like a lion.

There is a lion. He seeks to destroy.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.─1 Peter 5:8 NLT

There is a lion who loves stirring up a good storm. We need to prepare ourselves in the quiet, restful seasons of life for the storms the enemy will surely try to send our way.  We need to create the muscle memory of going to God each day with our prayers and petitions.

The habit of prayer during quiet seasons helps us when the weather shifts. We won’t have to wonder what to do or who to run to. We’ll already know. We will have established a healthy rhythm of connecting with God each day.

And sometimes our prayers can help us avoid a storm all together!  After all, it’s in prayer we learn to hear God’s voice. We can seek Him and His wisdom and avoid a pitfall or two because we listened and obeyed, and  He lead us to green pastures.

But sometimes the storm still comes.

In those instances, we can run to our habit of prayer, where we know God is at the helm of our lives.  He is our Lighthouse. He helps us weather storms well.

How will we get out of inclement weather? God speaks to us through prayer as we seek Him. His answer may be in that moment. His answer may come another way, or at another time.  Because, remember, we are to run our race with perseverance.  That means sometimes the answer isn’t right now, in the moment.

Why wouldn’t God answer a heartfelt prayer in the moment? Is He just trying to be mean? Is He an authoritative, domineering, do what I say or else type of God?  Hardly!  He’s God – full of grace and mercy, long-suffering and compassionate. He is Authority but rooted and established in love.

Sometimes His love allows the storm (or a delay for the weather to break), because He needs us to see something about Him, ourselves or others.

What do I mean by that?

Well, I have come to know God’s faithfulness only in times when I needed Him to show Himself MOST faithful. I got to know Him best when I was at my worst. The hard times have helped me to know how sweet and good God truly is, Love immeasurable as He ministered to my heart in a tenderness that is indescribable unless you experience it.

The best way to describe it:  fully known, fully seen.  God is aware of me.

God is aware of you.

He loves us immensely!

When God has allowed storms (plural, yes plural for us all), He has shown me I am stronger than I ever imagined. He has shown me areas I need to work on. He has revealed to me how much I have grown over time with Him. He opened my eyes to how my reaction to a situation isn’t the same, because with Christ I’m not the same. I can have peace. I can have joy. I can love.  You can too.  They’re all choices possible because God dwells in me and in you.

And if you ever want to be a part of God revealing His glory to a non-saved world, weather a storm well and let them see what a difference Christ makes in our lives.

Life with God is a GAME-CHANGER! 

It’s how we help others most.  Let them see the face of God show up for us in a stormy season.  They might not understand it, but they’ll definitely notice it. When they do, we’re giving them a glimpse of God. What greater gift is there?

Prayer is relationship, conversation with God. Those special, often private talks with Him help us hold steady in a storm.

Rest To A Storm and Through A Storm to Spring Forward with God

The second idea to explore is rest. We need to rest to a storm and through a storm to spring forward with God.  Two things come to mind: literal rest and peace.

When we are well rested, we are at our best. It’s not lazy to take a break. We all need one. Even the seasons show us by their example. Grass lies dormant for a time, so it can grow strong. There will be a season for it to absorb rain. To grow. Quickly. And then there will be a need to weather another dry season. Us too. We rest. We grow quickly. We weather dry seasons.

Rest to a storm is a part of natural rhythms. 

For a do-er like me, this one isn’t always easy. I have to be extremely intentional and hold a strong boundary for myself. I know it. I know I need rest, that I’m not always great at it, but I am at my best when I grant myself permission to do so.

Crash and burn one too many times and a woman learns.  If I attempt life like a whirlwind, I will be an emotional wreck.

Rest allows me to better roll with life’s punches.

I can play. I can create. I can enjoy life. Those things are part of God’s design too.

I am the worst task master of my life. When I allow God to assign tasks, He makes sure to include the ever-important one of rest.  Otherwise, we’re just trying too hard and in our own strength.  An awful combination that is certain to help us self-combust.

When we commit to follow God’s command to rest, we convey trust in Him.  When we don’t? We’re saying we don’t.

Now that will cause us to sit up straight and think.

When we feel we can’t rest, we feel we can’t trust God with an outcome, with our future, with our life.

When we rest, we say to God, “I trust you and I know you have this, because you have me always in Your sight.”

When we rest to a storm we have enough energy to endure a storm.

Rest to a storm is how we rest through a storm.

When we are well rested we are able to process emotions in a healthier fashion. Well rested women make wise decisions.

Well rested women know well the power of running into the Prince of Peace’s arms to let Him do the heavy lifting.

One of my girlfriends comes to mind. She is a prayer warrior, a spiritual ambassador for so many as she fights for them through prayer. She uses those same weapons in her own life and for her own family. As I watch her navigate a difficult storm right now, you wouldn’t even know she had a care in the world.

If a care tries to creep in, she lifts it to the Lord and keeps in His perfect peace.

We’re not talking a little mole hill.

We’re talking a mountain.

She’s faced several. (You too?)

But still, she prays and fights the spiritual battle.  She’s a beautiful spiritual sister to have in your circle of friends. I don’t know if she knows how brave she is …. I’m sensing I have an assignment: to tell her. “You’re brave!”

Perhaps there’s nothing braver we can do: rest in God’s perfect peace when we’re in the middle of a storm.

If that’s you, you have an assignment. Cuddle up into the lap of Jesus. Let Him keep you and sustain you. Let His comfort and provision guide you to the center of His perfect peace.  Breathe. Breathe again. Breathe Him in. Deeply.

I imagine you won’t just spring forward with God when you do. Rather, you’ll launch your life forward further and faster than you could fathom. It’s odd how peace does that. But it does.

Peace.

Sit in it a moment longer.

Peace.

Know That You Are Rooted & Established in Love to Spring Forward with God

If I could write about any verses in the bible, it might be these.  I’ve written about them many times before, because they have such significance to our spiritual formation. We can only spring forward with God when we understand the depths of His love for us.

I can’t say it better than His Word.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge─that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.─Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV

Filled to the measure of all God’s fullness.  It’s hard to imagine how full that actually is─ at capacity, no more room, overflowing. God’s love for you and me is abounding, stuffed and stretched beyond understanding and uncontainable. There isn’t a vessel big enough or space large enough to hold His love for you or for me.

When we know that and believe it in our heart, we spring forward with God no matter what life throws our way.

God’s love gives us THE competitive advantage over life’s challenges.

I wrote this in my prayer journal recently and want to share it with you in closing.

I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know You hold me in it.

You might not know what tomorrow holds, but know that you are held by God in it. He is the gentle Lamb of God who guides us in life and helps us see and enjoy the tulips waving to us in the wind. Their fragrant aroma reminds us of Him. His promise to be with us in every season.

How is God calling you to spring forward with Him? Prayer, Rest, Knowledge of His Love? Which one resonates with you  most today? Turn it over. Explore it. Hold it up to the Light of Christ and let Him reveal Himself and His purposes to you.

And remember the Lamb has already defeated the lion, no matter how much the wind blows.

Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page.

Signature Image: Tracy Stella

Categories // Faith, Tracy Stella's Perspective, Trusting God When Afraid Tags // 1 Peter 5:8, Courage, Ephesians 3:16-19, Lamb, Lion, Love, Peace, Persevere, prayer, rest, Spiritual Battle, Spring Forward, Storm, Trust, Waiting on God

How Do You Go Through Change?

05.01.2018 by Tracy Stella //

Welcome to Facet’s and this month’s question:  How do you go through change?  We thought we’d infuse a little humor on the topic with our image selection. Sometimes, a little levity helps when change is on the horizon.

How Do You Go Through the Change? (Blue)

Change happens whether we want it or not. Ultimately, navigating change determines where we wind up.

If we map out our course and cooperate with God, we’ll get to where He intends much quicker. If we resist change, we get mired down in muck.  Our resistance causes us to work much harder to get where we’re going.  Perhaps we’ll never wind up where God meant for us to be.

Maybe we won’t completely miss our intended destination, but we’ll miss out on some of the good God desperately wants to give us.

It’s a powerful motivator─the thought of missing God’s best, because we can’t (or won’t) let go of what used to be. If He has to pry our fingers from the past, it’ll take a whole lot longer to fill our hands with the good things He desires to place in them. Each season is fresh and alive with possibility if we’ll embrace it.

Even some of the hard circumstances in life have possibility. Enduring. Getting through and crossing to the other side of that difficult time has the great reward of intimacy with the Lord if we are willing to “go there” and be real and raw and personal with Him.

On the other side we also see the strength of our spiritual muscle. What faith, perseverance, love, and hope formed in that dark time of desperate trial can do in one woman’s or man’s life. It’s part of our story. It’s part of what we share with others. It’s part of what will minister so very deeply to those who don’t yet know Jesus or have just gotten acquainted with Him. It can make people curious enough to be just the least bit receptive to the good news.

I’m speaking from personal experience. I’ve had dark times. But God’s love illuminated my life and continues to do so. We all have hard things we have to go through. None of us gets an immunization from difficulty.

How we deal with difficulty determines our destiny.

I’ve witnessed the tragedy of people not letting go of the former things, a lack of willingness to press into the new things God has for them.

A delay in receiving God’s goodness breaks my heart when I see it. I want nothing more than for the person to grab hold of God’s hand and walk with Him, stretching and growing, not screaming and kicking. I know His ways don’t always make sense to us. There have been times I’ve been completely confused myself.

That’s when I ask for Him to show me what He’s doing. Where are we going? What’s this about? I try not to ask “why”. Why doesn’t really matter much. The answer to that question isn’t going to bring me anywhere. Instead, I want to go through.  So I pray. I ask for His help. I seek His comfort. I let Him minister to the broken places in my heart. I let Him renew my mind. Sometimes, my thoughts need changing, reshaping. The things I once thought so certain, God shows me otherwise. He softens my heart. He shows me things through His Word and every day people who He is and how much He loves me─always, but especially when circumstances make it appear and feel otherwise.

Those are some of the sweetest, more pure moments between me and God. Tears slip down my cheek, not in sadness but due to His sweetness as He comforts me in a way only He can.

When I see people unwilling to let go of what was and go through change with God’s help, I want to say, “Just cooperate. It’ll be okay! Let go of those old, false beliefs. Lean in. Listen. Let Him help you! He will! Stop fighting! Relax in His loving arms. There’s peace there. Comfort. Adventure and bliss. Yes, life is a battle. Sometimes it’s hard. When it is, let Him help. Let Him help. Let Him help. Let Him help.”

Victim mentality doesn’t bring victory. The blood of Jesus does.

The alternative to walking with God through change? People become jaded. Bitter. Scars jagged, rough to the touch. Maybe can’t be touched. Like a porcupine, prickly so people start avoiding you. It might make you feel safe, but it’s a prison really. A prison of personal pain that doesn’t have to be. We have choice. We can choose to embrace change. Like a little girl who can’t get pried from her daddy’s arms after a nightmare, cling to the process of change. One day you’ll be surprised to wake up and find the nightmare has ended. Sun streams in the bedroom window, light pure as the white sheers letting in the sun’s rays. Dreams good. Hopeful. And dare I say, happy.

In God’s love, mercy and grace, I wake up to those sun rays warming my face and wonder how did I get here to this good, hopeful, dare I say happy place? Change. Some big. Some gradual. All of it good, because God worked it to be that way.

It’s so over-used, but I don’t even care. It feels appropriate. When life gives you lemons, make some lemonade.

Before you think, you just don’t understand what I’ve been through. Maybe you are right. Maybe I don’t.  But Jesus does!  I do know I’ve had some lemons tossed my way, and with God’s help we’re making lemonade.

One of those lemons happened late last year. I was so confused as to what God was doing. I couldn’t see how losing a job I loved so much, that felt like I was fulfilling the very reason I was placed on this planet, could ever be good. It was a passion. I was helping women. And, in fact, it was the fulfillment of a vision He’d given me years before. I felt like He’d plunked me there for “such a time as this”.  It was a rich season with Him. He was so very present, almost palpable.

Poof! It was gone!

It took a moment to catch my breath. I felt like I’d been pushed out a three-story building and landed hard on my back. Not dead, but the wind knocked out of me.

Whether it was God or satan who removed me from that place, I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is what lies ahead.

Even how we deal with change changes. The one constant if we are going to change well is to change with God. The other details don’t always stay the same. I say that because I’m about to share how God helped me through that time at a relatively fast pace (which is DEFINITELY one of the advantages of cooperating with God sooner rather than later). The more quickly I can get to a place to settle down and hear from God, the faster I can get through those difficult times. And since I don’t like pain, I have a high motivation to get a move on!

1. God comforted me in advance of the change.

If you are in a difficult season, look for how God was showing up in advance of it. Journals are a great source. Reflect on what God was saying or doing before the bottom fell out. What conversations did you have with others in the days and weeks preceding? Look for the clues where Christ was preparing your heart and mind ahead of time.

I was told I was going to receive a gift that would not feel like a gift. (More later about how this loss became─and is becoming─a gift.)

2.  God told me to grieve and to reveal His glory through it even as I did.

You see, it’s okay to be sad sometimes. I WAS sad. I had poured my heart and soul into launching the ministry. I knew God was using me to bring deeply traumatized women into places of healing, helping them meet and experience God each day.  I knew He’d used me to set up processes, hire and train employees, and just when things were about to be a little easier because all those things were in place, I wouldn’t get to experience the fruits from all that labor. And I wondered how it could happen when God had given me the vision.

I cried a gallon of tears. But I never gave up hope.

Honestly, in the past, it was NOT GRIEVING that used to get me in a whole heap of trouble. Before I was a believer, I’d sweep things under the rug. The only problem with that is sometimes the rug moves and the pain and problems not dealt with are revealed no matter how much we want to hide from them. Better to deal with problems in season.

3.  Pray and worship.

Along with my grieving, I prayed. A lot. I listened to worship music incessantly. I couldn’t get enough. As I journaled and processed my pain, God ministered to my soul.  If I felt like I was submitting to depression, I’d sing. And sing. And sing. My singing submission to God, knowing He’d see my worship as a sacrifice bringing forth a fragrant aroma. He knows it’s hard to worship when we don’t understand. It’s what makes our worship even sweeter to Him. It’s also what saved me from a spiral of defeat while I was waiting for Him to reveal what was next.

4.  Slap shame in the face.

I know that sounds harsh, but so is shame. Don’t take it. Permission to fight back with the truth! Pull out promises and smack the enemy with the truth about who you are and whose you are!

Sometimes, the things we are changing from and through require us to deal with shame. You see, the enemy wanted to bury me with shame and embarrassment.  (Even in the writing of this post, he didn’t want me to be real and share, to be vulnerable about what could have been very shameful.)

Again, in God’s goodness, He kept playing a song for me — especially before a couple of significant meetings. I couldn’t escape the song Lions by Skillet. Every time I heard it, it was as if God was saying to me, “Hold your head up. You did nothing wrong. I have something new for you. Be brave little lion.”

Part of what He was doing was redeeming a situation from the past. He was showing me how much I’d grown by walking with Him. While the situation made me sad, it didn’t devastate me. Even something as significant as “losing” what I felt was my calling, couldn’t destroy me or my spirit.  That was different from the past. He was showing me I knew and know who I am. His. I am His.

5.  Change takes stamina. Sometimes we need to rest before we can run a new race.

God wouldn’t let me move forward until I got some rest. I didn’t realize how exhausted I truly was until I was given the chance to rest. If you know me, you know rest isn’t an easy word for me to embrace. I like to do. To move. To accomplish awesome things with and for God. But if my tank is empty, I’ll go nowhere fast. That’s for all of us. We all need refueling.

I had just left an intense time of ministry that had left me emotionally drained. Working with trauma survivors is no easy task (and without God’s grace – impossible!)

Not only was I emotionally drained, I had spiritual scars. I knew to expect spiritual attack stepping into a ministry that pierced the darkness of human trafficking. Even expecting it, I underestimated it. The battles were intense. Most mornings I was up at 4 or 4:30 praying, spiritually girding myself for the day ahead. It was necessary for my spiritual survival.

Being on guard at that level of intensity, engaging in emotional trauma work which is far more tiring than a vigorous workout, left me limp and exhausted.

Every time I’d ask God, “What do you want me to do?” (Martha, anyone?)

God would say, “Rest.”

Me, always wanting to get going. “What do you want me to do?”

“Rest.”

So, eventually I did. I embraced the idea of rest. I grabbed my blanket and Bible and wrapped myself in rest.

6.  Get ready. Change requires us to get ready.

Really, all the above was part of that. On your mark, get set, GO!

7.  God is doing a new thing. After all, that’s what change is about.

God started to reveal a new vision. It felt very much like the beginnings of the vision He’d once given me to start a home to help 4 to 6 women in a family setting. You’ll need lots of help, things beyond you. You’ll coordinate many people to help these women. It is beyond you and your individual capacity.

It didn’t make sense back then any more than this new vision God is giving me makes sense. But honestly, it gives me comfort that it doesn’t make sense. Most ideas from God seem that way at first. If it felt easy, I’d think it was my idea. Because it’s ridiculous (in the best of ways), there’s a pretty high likelihood it’s from God.

I may not have all the details exactly right, but He’s casting a vision that brings old and new together. Again, I don’t know all the particulars. I don’t know His timeline. I do know He tends to give me long-range visions, so this could be a ten year plan (or longer).

I don’t know, but I don’t need to know. He’s unfolding the details, enough to get me really excited about the future.

Remember how I’d shared earlier I was told I was going to receive a gift that would not feel like a gift?

I received the gift of rest, grieving, and intimacy with God.

Then, I received the gift of hope and a new dream. God has reassured me He didn’t take from me, but He wants to expand the vision He’d once given me. He has me doing seemingly unrelated things that will come together for more of His glory.

I opened my hands and asked Him to place all of His goodness in them because I love Him. I know He is good. I know He has good things for me, and for the people He places in my circle of influence. He will minister to my heart and He will help me minister to others. If all I ever had in life were good things, I’d never grow.

Last winter when I was planted in the soil of confusion, grief, and rest, God grew me. He’s doing a new thing. And now I’m ready to go.

How is God calling you to change?

Are you ready? On your mark, get set, go!

Oh, and don’t forget to hold your head up. You need to see where you’re going!

Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page.

Signature Image: Tracy Stella

Categories // Faith, Tracy Stella's Perspective Tags // Change, Get Ready, gift, grief, hope, New Dream, New Vision, On Your Mark Get Set Go, Perseverance, prayer, rest, Shame, Stamina, Surrender, victory, Worship

The Road to Restoration

09.26.2017 by Sam Stella //

I (Jennifer) would like to introduce you to our guest this week, Tracy’s husband, Sam Stella. He’s continuing our topic: What are you going back to? The Facets team think you’ll enjoy reading his story about God bringing something wonderful out of an old interest of his. Kick back with your favorite cuppa and enjoy the ride, friend.

I (Sam) was asked to guest write this month and, truthfully, I’m a little nervous about placing my words on the same site with such beautiful writers. I’m not typically a writer, but God has given me such great stories to share with others, I guess they thought I might have plenty of material.

My story starts back in September on my 10th birthday of being a Christ follower. God brought me back to a desire I had as a young man—to own a motorcycle. I found myself in a paint shop sitting on a 1974 Honda CL450. The second I sat on it a big smile came to my face and old passion was ignited. The passion was so strong I started saving money from my small weekly allowance.

Take delight in the Lord,
 and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV

Fast forward to February, and the temperature outside was 70 degrees. The local motorcycle shop had all the bikes lined up outside, and it was calling my name. Tracy and I turned in just to have a look, since my savings was only about $450.

In the back of my mind, I hoped Tracy would say, “You’ve worked hard. Just get one.”

She never said that, but she was a good sport when I asked her to throw her leg over one of the bikes outside the store. She hesitated but gave in to my persistence. She threw her leg over one and said, “I always wanted a Candy Apple Red motorcycle.”

Seeing her smile, I knew we stumbled on a hidden passion in Tracy as well. Oh no—now I needed to save enough to buy two motorcycles.

As a believer, I try my best to include God in all my decisions and included the bike purchase into my morning prayer. Yes, I was praying to God about motorcycles. My prayer was more a list of questions. God, why do I have such a strong passion? Lord, what is it you’re doing in this? What will you do in this, Lord? Lord, I pray to hear you clearly. Lord, is Tracy to get a bike as well?

This prayer time was interjected with other prayers I had been praying for a while. One was that Tracy and I could find a healthy outlet to refresh on the weekend from her job as Program Director for a home that restores women who have been rescued from sex trafficking.

Another prayer heavy on my heart was that, over the years, it seemed my two brothers and I had become distanced and rarely interacted much beside holidays. My prayer was that God would bring us back to the brotherly bond we had when we were young.

To move this story along—I eventually picked up a small, clutch-driven motorcycle I could use to teach Tracy how to ride. The purpose of the bike was just that, but it needed a little work before it would run.
It just so happens my brother, Scott, restored an older bike, and I called him for help. He knew exactly what I needed to do to the bike to get it running, and he had the tools for me to take the motorcycle apart. God provided a great opportunity for us to interact.

When the bike was running, Tracy and I needed a place for her to learn how to ride a clutch-driven motorcycle. One of my recent real estate clients was a pastor of a church and had a nice big field and parking lot that he offered us to use. It turned out to be a perfect place for a first ride. Tracy picked it up quickly and moved off the lawn to the pavement right away. Once we got on the pavement, my prayers were really ratcheted up for her safety as she whizzed around the lot with a big smile screaming, “I did it! I did it! I’m riding a motorcycle.”

God answered the prayer we asked for in our small group the night before: for Tracy and I to have time to disconnect from work and laugh and be filled with joy. Prayer answered, Tracy and I had a blast. And for the first time in weeks, we had a refreshing weekend. Who says God doesn’t work through motorcycles? We were refreshed.

A couple weeks later Scott called and asked if I wanted to go to a bike night at the Harley dealer with him and a friend. I thought, “Really? I’m riding a 1974 Honda CL125.” But he was serious, and I went. Below is a photo of the motorcycles lined up ready to go. The cool one on the right is mine.I began praying, How does my brother, Sandy, fit into this, God?

He answered that, too. Sandy watched Tracy on Facebook having a blast riding our little motorcycle. He was amazed my cool wife was riding. This ignited an old passion of Sandy’s too.

After a few weeks of practicing, Tracy and I attended the motorcycle class at the local college, and Tracy passed. She’s a licensed motorcycle rider now.

I wanted her to have a helmet right away. We went to a local motorcycle shop to purchase one. Before leaving the store we ended up talking with a sales guy and mentioned I wanted to purchase a 2005 or newer Honda Shadow Aero 750 for her. I thought it would be a good starter bike. Tracy added that she would like it to be candy apple red.

That same night we got a call from the shop, and they just happened to have a 2005 Honda Shadow Aero 750. And the color was Candy Red. Ok, the apple was missing, but I give all the credit to God for leading us to her new motorcycle. The next day we purchased it for her birthday.

My brother Sandy saw this on Facebook and called me up. He was shocked to see Tracy riding such a big bike and decided, “That’s it, I’m getting one.” So Sandy and I headed to Wisconsin to look for his bike at a couple of large dealers. When he walked into the second shop a bike caught his eye right away. He purchased a beautiful 2010 Harley Street Glide.

God had his hand on the purchase, I think. The bike needed a new front tire so Sandy wasn’t able to take the bike home that night. Since Sandy still didn’t have his license, he needed someone to drive it home for him. Once the bike was ready, Scott offered to help get it home. The two of them spent the day picking up the bike and had all that time to bond. God has his ways, and I truly believe this was him working on us brothers.

Ok, I ask again—who says God doesn’t work through motorcycles?

At this point both brothers and my wife had nice motorcycles. I was sitting with my little CL125, which barley went 45 mph. On the evening of July 3rd I posted it for sale and prayed God would bring a buyer for it. Within an hour God had a guy text me about the bike. I called him, and he said he wanted to come get it the next day. I agreed if he came early.

He stopped by at 8:30 in the morning and rode away by 9:30. It sold for a little more than I paid, and now it was time to find a bigger bike.

I looked for a Honda Shadow Spirit model, a 2007 or newer. The closest one was 3 hours away, and I couldn’t go look because the workweek had started. The next day at work I decided to check again—again, God provided. The exact bike I was looking for was 15 minutes away, and the price was right.

I drove out on lunch and purchased the bike.

Come on, what are the chances of that? God definitely has his hand on this.

Take delight in the Lord,
 and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Today as I write it’s July 26th, and yesterday I was nervous about this post because the vision God laid on my heart had yet to fully mature. I prayed to God yesterday that I needed his help in bringing us three brothers together. God, I have a deadline for this article…

That same day God arranged for us brothers to take our first ride together—the three of us. Here is a picture just before heading out.In September of 2016 I thought God was bringing me back to an old passion for a material item, a motorcycle. To my surprise, God planned all along to provide for a desire that has been in my heart ever since giving my life to him over 10 years ago: the desire to bond again with my brothers like we did when we were young.

Take delight in the Lord,
 and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

As an added bonus, he also provided me with the bride I prayed for—an active, adventure-loving bride.

I want you to know God’s hand is in everything you do, and if you take joy in the Lord, he will give you the desires of your heart.

This may appear to be the end of the story, but I know it’s only the beginning and faithfully look forward to what God has planned. Amen

 

Categories // Guest Perspectives, Life, What are You Going Back to? Tags // Facets of Faith, Motorcycles, Psalm 37:4, relaxation, rest, Sam Stella

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