My trust is the Lord

Last week I had the privilege of traveling to Montreat, North Carolina for the Women in Youth Ministry Campference. It was a getaway at the time when I needed it most. I was tired and drained from a busy 2016 to this point, We had a big fundraiser last weekend, serving dinner to approximately 250 people and raising thousands of dollars for our summer mission trip.

The conference was from Wednesday to Friday, and Thursday afternoon we had free time to do whatever it was we most needed. I'm not going to lie - part of me wanted to sleep. But I am so rarely in the mountains, and I really wanted to see the view. So despite my physical exhaustion, I ventured out with a group of new friends to climb Lookout Mountain.

 I'm not going to lie. I was breathing heavily the entire hike. I had to stop and rest. And as a runner who has run half marathons, it was somewhat demoralizing to be having so much trouble climbing this mountain, when my climbing friends were ahead of me. But I kept going. And I made it! And the view was totally worth it, as you can see below.





I am so glad that I was able to push through. When we got back down to the bottom, we stopped in the store that is on Montreat property. And in it there were these stones that simply had the word "Strength" on them. And they spoke to me. So the next day, before the conference ended, I went back and got one. Because more than anything, strength is what I needed from this conference. Strength to push through and finish strong (as I always say at the end of my runs). Strength to follow through on plans. Strength to set the boundaries I need in my life. 





On Friday, after the conference had ended, I had planned to take two days to drive home despite the fact that the length of drive didn't really necessitate taking the extra time. I wanted to have the freedom to take the scenic route. So before getting on the road, I took another walk, this time along the river. And as I walked, I stopped several times to read the scripture that was the theme for the conference, in the picture to the right (which is actually a picture I took on my walk while considering the passage).

And as I read that verse for probably the 5th time on my walk, something jumped out at me. It was the second line - "whose trust IS the Lord." It is not simply that we trust in God, but we have to acknowledge that our trust is the Lord.







When I don't know if I can take one more step - my trust is the Lord.
When I don't have the energy to deal with one more setback - my trust is the Lord.
When I feel overwhelmed by the to do list that never ends - my trust is the Lord.
When I don't have the answers - my trust is the Lord.
Whatever my circumstances - my trust is the Lord.

That is where my strength comes from.

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