I remember as a kid I had quotes that I would repeat often, sometimes to the dismay of my siblings. For instance, I would quote Thumper from the Bambi movie saying “If you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all.” I can see how it was a bit annoying at times, but many of these quotes also reminded me of things that were important to me. Growing up, I would also repeat Romans 8:38-39 frequently, reminding me that I am loved by God, and that nothing can ever separate me from that love.
Flash forward in time to my first year in Community when my spiritual director suggested I choose a bible verse to be a theme for the year. He shared that it was an anchor for him when he struggled or questioned life while in the seminary. I knew it was a great idea for me, yet I could not have expected just how fruitful it would be in my own life.
The first year I searched for a fitting verse, and I came up with a few good ideas. But then Zephaniah 3:17 jumped out at me.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exalt over you with loud singing.
In those words, I remembered God the Father’s delight in me, as well as the strength he promises to give to his children each day. Little did I know at the time I chose this verse how well it would fit with what the Lord wanted to do in my heart. This verse became a rock for me, and that year ended up being one in which I learned so much about the Father’s love for me, and about the strength he gives me to do things I could not do on my own.
As my second year in community began, I once again started searching for the “right” verse. But I did not find it in the searching. Instead, I came across a colouring page with the words of Hebrews 3:10:
“He who has spoken is trustworthy.”
I chose this as my verse and the Lord showed me just how important it is to trust in his promises and in the truths he has given me. While attending Encounter School of Ministry, I learned to ask the Lord for his truths and to declare them out loud so I can begin to believe them myself. Knowing the Lord’s words resounded in my heart gave me greater confidence than I had before. I grew to appreciate God’s way of touching my heart and showing me the person he has made me to be.
That same year, our Community experienced the passing of our Foundress, Sr. Anna Chan, SC. In the days and months that followed, this scripture verse became a reminder that grounded me in the truth that God is always faithful.
I was questioning myself: ‘Why am I here?’ I had the sense that the Lord was assuring me that He had called me here and “he who has spoken is trustworthy”.
This Community was God’s idea planted in Sr. Anna, and “he who has spoken is trustworthy”. ‘What now?’ We trust the Lord because he is trustworthy.
I learned to go back to the truths the Lord had given me, which I wrote in my journal, and declare them again, and to trust that the Lord is faithful.
As a new ministry year begins, I have again chosen a scripture for the year. This time around, I decided that instead of looking for a verse on my own, I would wait and see what the Lord brought to my attention. This summer, on our travels through Toronto, we stopped for lunch with one of our Companions of the Cross brothers. At the end of the meal, we took time to pray for one another. As this priest prayed for me, he spoke the words of 1 John 4:18, “perfect love casts out all fear.” These words resonated in my heart and I chose them as my scripture for the year. I do not know what this year will bring, but I know that resting in the arms of Love, who is our Heavenly Father, is a place of peace, hope and courage for me. I will once again post this quote on my wall and it will remind me often to run to the arms of perfect love. I am excited to see how the Lord will use this year to show me his love, a love that casts out all fear and anxiety in a new and deeper way.
Do you need an anchor to remind you of the Lord’s faithfulness? Or perhaps there is a verse on your heart, or one the Lord will show you, to renew your mind this year? How will you give God permission to be present to you today through his word, as he has shown me?
Related Posts
