Author: Lauren Titcomb

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God Never Disappoints

 

My Dearest Sister,

​Have you ever wanted something so badly that nothing but that one thing even seemed like a possibility to you? Have you then experienced your world come to a screeching halt because that one thing didn’t happen? I’m not talking about the tickets to a long-awaited movie release being sold out or the grocery store not carrying your favorite flavor of ice cream. While yes, these things can be upsetting, I’m referring to that hope-crushing, seemingly life-altering disappointment that happens when nothing turns out as you had expected. You planned, you hoped, and maybe you even prayed for it to happen, but it all seems to have been for naught. Even when we try to keep ourselves from having any expectations, it feels as if our hearts have desires of their own sometimes, despite our best efforts to control them. I will admit that I am familiar with this kind of disappointment; Even recently it came calling like an unwelcome guest in my heart.

​For months now my husband and I have been excitedly waiting to find out where our first duty station in the Army is going to be. Since he is currently in training and is considered “Active Duty”, we knew that we wouldn’t find out until near the end of flight school. Even though we were able to select our top three choices, we could still be sent pretty much anywhere the Army wanted us to go. Knowing that, I tried my hardest not to get my hopes up about any particular post but despite my best efforts, my heart began to settle on Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. To be honest, I really wanted to be close to my family in Florida and be able to enjoy the warm Southern weather that I have grown to love. Plus, living in downtown Savannah would have been a really fun experience. It almost seemed as if my heart had decided for me what I wanted, all without my consent. Well you can imagine my disappointment when we found out that we will actually be stationed at Fort Drum in upstate New York – and I mean almost-to-Canada-upstate. I tried to be excited and make the best of it, but I could feel my heart sink. Not only is Fort Drum in the middle of pretty much nowhere, it’s also bitterly cold half of the year. Having been born and raised in Florida, six feet of snow and sub-zero temperatures are not my idea of a good time. I don’t even own a parka, a snow shovel, or any of the other winter essentials. Needless to say, this was not at all what I had been hoping for.

​As unexpected and unwelcome as this news was to me, the truth is that these moments of disappointment are inevitable. Sometimes we can’t help but get our hopes up only to have them dashed right before our eyes. There is one thing, however, in which we will never be disappointed and that is the hope we have in God. Romans 5:5 says “Now  hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” At times when it seems like our lives just aren’t going where we want them to, it is important for us to remember that we serve aloving, dependable, and sovereign God. He is in control of all things, even the crazy and unexpected twists and turns of our lives; And because He loves us (so much that He sent His only Son to suffer and die in our place) we know that He has our very best in mind, even if we can’t see it in our current circumstances.

​However, as Romans 8:28 reminds us, there is a condition to us receiving this good He has planned for us: “And we know that all things work together for good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” You see, the trouble begins when we get so focused on our own purposes, that we forget about the Lord’s. It’s kind of silly to think that we know what we need more than the all-powerful Creator and Sustainer of the universe, but we do sometimes, don’t we? Boy, does that sound like setting ourselves up to be disappointed! To be honest, I don’t even know what I am going to be eating for breakfast tomorrow, let alone what my life is going to be like in year, or two, or even ten. But you know what? God does. So, while moving to New York may not have been a part of my plan, I can be confident that it certainly is a part of God’s; and for that, my sister, I should not be disappointed but should stand up and praise the fact that He is Sovereign and Lord over my life.

​I want to end by saying this: Disappointment will not prevail against us. It is only a temporary distraction from the bigger picture of God’s plan for us, both now and for eternity. If we have the Holy Spirit within us, then we will always have hope in the Lord, no matter what the circumstances or situations surrounding our lives may be. I also want to thank you, my friend, for writing this letter to you has caused me to search my own heart in regards to my personal disappointments, both past and present. What I have uncovered is not pretty, but it is an opportunity to turn my focus from the hopes I have for myself to the eternal hope that I have in God, made possible through His great love. It is true that life can let us down sometimes, but we can be sure that God never will.

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​Your sister in Christ,

​~ Lauren

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Are We There Yet?

 

 My Dearest Sister,

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​Do you remember those long, family road trips as a kid to some exciting destination? You know, the ones where ten minutes seemed like an eternity because you couldn’t wait to get to the beach, or grandma’s, or wherever it was your parents were taking you? You must have asked the phrase “Are we there yet?” about a dozen times, always with the same response of  “Nope, not yet.” It seemed as if you would never arrive, but would be stuck in the car, just waiting forever. Sometimes, that’s what life feels like to me, except now God is in the driver’s seat, not my mom or dad. And even though I’ve matured quite a bit since I was eight, I still have that same attitude of impatience. I have this place in mind where I want to be and I want to be there NOW. I don’t want to wait for God to take the detours to avoid the wreckage on the highway or slow down because it’s raining outside. All I can think about is the destination so getting there in one piece is the last thing on my mind. You know, even as a society we lack patience. It seems as if everything today is available quickly, from fast food to on-demand television, instant download music to same-day shipping. We don’t like to wait for anything, do we? So when the topic of waiting on the Lord comes up, it’s no wonder that our response is similar to that of an eight-year-old on a never ending road trip: “Lord, are we there yet?!”

​Whether it’s a job we want, prosperity we’re seeking in a relationship, or even something we desire to happen in someone else’s life, God doesn’t always answer our requests right away. Sometimes, He asks us to wait patiently for Him to do His perfect work. As I’m sure you already know, having patience in God’s timing is not always a simple task. When there is suffering and heartache at hand and we can imagine a way of peace and prosperity that seems much more fitting, it’s not always easy to understand why God works in the way He does. While the Lord’s plan doesn’t always happen as speedily as we would like, we do have the assurance that His timing is better than ours. Ecclesiates 3:11 speaks about this: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” The simple truth about God’s timing is that we will never understand it. Even though He has given us a piece of eternity through salvation, my sister, we cannot comprehend His full plan. It is too great and too perfect for our mortal minds to even begin to understand. We do, however, have the hope that His timing makes all things more beautiful than we can ever imagine, even if we don’t see it upon first glance.

​Going back to those road trips as a kid, did you ever just have the urge to climb in the driver’s seat and take the wheel from your mom or dad because you thought you could do a better job of navigating? Of course not! You were just a kid. You didn’t know how to operate a vehicle and even if you did, you didn’t know which roads to take to get where you were going. What’s more, your feet probably wouldn’t even have reached the pedals. So why do we as Christians get so eager sometimes to take the wheel of our life from God? We don’t always know which roads we’re supposed to take. Most of the time we don’t even know the destination; but we still put God in the passenger seat, look over with a smile and say “I’ve got this, Lord. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” And then we strap a couple of blocks of wood to our feet, pull out a phone book to sit on, and it’s full speed ahead! Though it’s silly to think of that happening, it’s true. We all have periods in our lives like that. If you’re anything like me, it’s difficult to sit back and relax when we don’t even know where the destination is. We start to worry about the outcome and then the desire to take the wheel from God and find our own way starts to eat away at us.

​To learn patience in waiting on the Lord, my dear sister, we must first learn to trust Him completely with our future. Psalm 27:13-14 exhorts us to do this: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” We must remember, dear sister, that the Lord is good! He has our very best in mind and will never fail us in that pursuit. And although God’s timing isn’t always as quick as we desire, He knows exactly when we are ready for Him to move in our lives and exactly when we need to be patient and wait. Maybe you have had a certain concern on your heart that you have been praying about for a very long time and you just want to sigh and say “Lord, are we there yet?”. I urge you, dear sister, not to lose heart, but to remember the promises of our Lord; He makes all things beautiful in their own time. Unlike us, He already knows the destination and the way to get there. We just need to trust that His goodness will see us through to the end. While our own earthly parents may have taken a wrong turn on some of those road trips, God never steers us in the wrong direction. Have faith my beloved sister, and wait, I say, on the Lord!

​Your Sister in Christ,

​Lauren

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God’s Plan Is My Hope

My Dearest Sister,

You may or may not know this, but I am the kind of person who likes to have a plan for everything. Knowing what’s going to happen next makes me feel grounded, secure and like everything is under control. You could definitely say that I am not a “fly by the seat of my pants” kind of person. While this may just seem like a funny little quirk, as I’m sure my husband will tell you it can be a real problem sometimes, especially when my plans start to fall apart. Being an Army wife, it can be especially difficult at times because there’s so much of the future that is unknown. Where will we be stationed after flight school? When will my husband get deployed? How long will it be until I can see my family back home again? It’s hard to plan around the unknown. But if I don’t make sure everything is in order, who will, right? Maybe you have felt this way yourself at some point.

This anxiety about the future has been on my mind a lot lately. It wasn’t until I had utterly “freaked” myself out about what our plans for the future were going to be that I remembered a favorite passage in Jeremiah: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). It was almost as if God was saying “Hey, Lauren, you need to calm down and relax. Remember the peace I have in mind for you. Hope in me and the future I have planned for you, not the plan you’re designing for yourself.” As soon as I read that passage, it was like the floodgates of hope just opened up. God has everything under control. Even if I don’t know the plan, I can be sure that He only has my good in mind. I can always hope and rely on God’s goodness. What a reassurance that was to me! No matter how thoroughly I plot my plans can always fall apart, but God’s plans for me never fail. I always have a hope for the future in Him.

As marvelous as this promise is, the concept of hope extends even further. Not only do we have a reason to hope for our future in this life, but we have a greater and more glorious hope in the next eternal one. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 highlights this hope: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day…. we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” When we are in Christ, we have a hope that surpasses our earthly troubles and worries. Too often we focus on the temporary of this life, the perishing things around us. What we should be focusing on are the spiritual things that are eternal and don’t pass away because that is where our hope is secure. So while the sea of life may be rough and toss us about in its swells, as Hebrews 6:19 says about the promise of eternal life in Christ, “this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.” Even the waves of trials and heartaches – though they may be great – cannot overcome our hope in Christ. For you see, dear sister, even the pain and suffering on this earth have an end. When we start looking past the temporary and focus on the endless hope we have in Christ, suddenly the temporary isn’t as daunting anymore.

Even though I am trying to hope and trust in God’s plan for my future, it is very difficult sometimes. At least if I write down a schedule, I can see it and understand it because it’s directly in front of me. It is much harder to hope in the unseen things. But as Romans 8:24 so poignantly says “hope that is seen is not hope, for why does one still hope for what he sees?” Therefore, we can only hope in the unseen, the spiritual truths of God, not in the sure things of this life. Oh, how marvelous the Word of God is, the way it challenges us to change! And so, dear sister, I urge you to join me in focusing on your hope in Christ for your future, and not leaning only on your own plans for yourself; to remember your hope is not just in this temporary life, but in the eternal. What a better season to change our focus than this Christmas? Let us celebrate together the birth of the One who brought hope to the world, not just a temporary hope, but an eternal one. For while the visible things of this world will pass away, nothing can take away the hope we have in our Savior.

Your loving sister in Christ,
~ Lauren

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Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment!!

My Dearest Sister,

“Nobody’s perfect.” We are all very familiar with that phrase. Some people use it as an excuse to explain their behavior, but for others it represents a sad truth about the sinful condition of man. Sometimes it feels like no matter how hard we try to do the right thing and please Him, our humanity wins the battle. Our spirits are willing to be righteous but our flesh is so very weak (Matthew 26:41). If you’re at all like me, you probably wonder why God puts up with you.  Well, the short answer is, we serve a very, very merciful God.

His mercy truly is amazing. Even though I deserve judgment and eternal condemnation for my sins, the Almighty God decided to pardon me. Even before sin is committed, His mercy is waiting to envelop the repentant heart. He is greater than my sins, your sins, and the sins of all those who confess and believe in His name. I like the way 1 Peter 1:3 puts it: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” I especially like this verse because it points out that God’s mercy is not a one-time thing. God’s pardon, which was made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection, did not only cover us once but gives a reassurance that is living; His mercy never expires, and through its restorative power, we are renewed in Him daily. So, even though sin and temptation sometimes win the battle, God, in His infinite power and abundant mercy, has already won the war for us.

Considering God’s abundant mercy toward us, why does it seem so hard sometimes for us to have mercy on others? As soon as we are offended, we have a tendency to judge those who have wronged us, sometimes without even knowing the whole story. We assume and “fill in the blanks” ourselves to determine if the guilty party deserves our pardon. But – fortunately for us – that’s now how mercy works; Mercy is given to the guilty in place of judgment even when it is not deserved, just as our Father shows us mercy every single day. So who are we to withhold mercy from others when it has been so freely given to us on such a grander scale? How can we, as a sinner, judge another sinner? We are guilty of wrongs just as those who have wronged us are guilty. James 2:10-12 tells us that if we sin but only once, we are still guilty of breaking the law and deserve judgment. In other words, we are not better than anyone else in God’s eyes, no matter how righteous we think we are. We all deserve the consequences of our sin, which is death.

I remember watching a story on the news several years ago about a man who was on trial for killing a teen girl in a drunk driving incident. The footage in the courtroom showed this guilty man expressing his deep remorse to the girl’s family, saying he didn’t expect or deserve their forgiveness. He was moved to tears, broken-hearted over what he had done. As the mother of the teen girl stood up to address the man, the courtroom was absolutely silent. I remember expecting to hear words of anger, deep sadness, and hatred. But, as she began to speak I was absolutely shocked. She spoke calmly, not as a distraught mother who had recently lost her beloved daughter, but as one human being to another. She said that she was not sure why God took her daughter away from her family on that night, but she knew that her girl was in a far better place now. She even expressed sorrow for the defendant, because she knew the guilt of what he had done would follow him for the rest of his life. And then she did something no one expected: She forgave him. The mother who was still mourning the loss of her daughter found it in her heart to show mercy to her daughter’s killer. What an example of Christ-like love this woman was! Even in the midst of her sorrow and deep emotional pain, she did not judge the person who had wronged her, but pardoned him of his sins against her family and gave him what he needed most in that moment: Mercy.

Whenever I remember this story, it always makes the reasons that I withhold mercy in favor of judgment seem pathetic. This woman so beautifully expressed what is written in James 2:13, “Mercy triumphs over judgment”. The whole reason Christ died on the cross was so that God’s mercy would be able to cover our sins. He took our place in the judgment and was undeservedly condemned to death so that God could pardon us: Just as Christ triumphed over the grave, mercy triumphs over judgment. When we withhold mercy from others, we stand in the way of a truth that is at the very foundation of our faith.

So, my dear sister, are you one who is quick to judge others and point the finger in blame? Or do you show mercy to your neighbor, pardoning them even when they have wronged you?  A better example of the Father’s love would be to reflect upon those in our lives the abundant mercy He shows toward us daily. For some people, such as the drunk driver whom the mother forgave, it may be their first glimpse of God’s love for them. And while it may not always seem an easy task to show mercy to those who have sinned against us, it becomes far easier when we remember the abundant mercy God has shown toward us and the living hope that is with us daily because of it. Truly, mercy does triumph over judgment!

 

Your humble sister in Christ,

~ Lauren

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Run, Sister, Run!!!!

My Dearest Sister,
 
​Have you ever felt like you were running through life as if it were a race? You are constantly sprinting toward the next goal, always focused on the task at hand. Sometimes though, you start to get tired and it seems like the race will never end. Each breath you take is labored and your legs are becoming weak. Finally, when you feel you can’t go another step, you stop running and collapse in a heap on the pavement, trying to catch your breath. You may be asking yourself what is wrong with you, why is this so difficult? You had felt perfectly capable of your ability to run the race just a few minutes ago. The air was crisp, and you were prepared for the challenge at hand – or so you thought. Instead, you feel defeated, like everything has been all messed up, and you’re not sure how to get up and keep running the race.

​If you can relate at all to this situation, I have a scripture that I would like to share with you. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul writes to the church at Corinth, describing life as like a race. We are all running and most of us want first place. However, there is a catch to doing well in this race. In verses 25-27 Paul says “And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things…. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” According to this passage, temperance – another word for self-control – is key to finishing well in this race of life. If we don’t have any discipline in our lives, not only is the opportunity to get first place gone, but we may as well consider ourselves disqualified altogether. Ouch! Unfortunately for you and I, self-control is one of those things that just doesn’t come naturally to most people. Our sinful human natures are all about gratifying the self and seeking pleasure in the moment. For the Christian though, having self-control means that the self is denied and worldly pleasures are given up to pursue something much greater. It means not thinking, saying, and doing things that are displeasing to God and actively thinking, saying, and doing the things that are pleasing to Him. Basically, being spiritually disciplined means following the rules that God has laid out for us, because it is not ourselves but He who knows what is best for us. It all sounds pretty basic in theory, but – as I’m sure we both know from personal experience – it is much harder to put into practice.

​As I am reading Paul’s words about self-control, I have a picture in my mind of a professional marathon runner. If they are serious about their profession, they usually have a set of rules they follow consisting of things they should not do and things they should do. These athletes eat healthy diets and drink lots of water. They adhere to rigorous workout schedules and seek the advice of a personal trainer. They abstain things that are harmful to their performance such as sweets, fatty foods, and alcohol; They take what they do seriously and their eye is always on the prize. If marathon runners didn’t practice discipline and self-control in every area of their life, when it came time for a race they would become easily tired and finish at the back of the pack – or worse, not finish at all. Well, it is very much the same for a Christian. To run the spiritual race well, we must ingest the Word of God (Psalms 119:10-11) and thirst for the things that, like water, are good and pure (Phillipians 4:8). We have our very own personal trainer, the Holy Spirit, who helps us when we don’t know how and gives us the encouragement we need to keep running (Romans 8:26). We are to abstain from sin, which hinders our spiritual performance and exercise daily what we learn through practice (James 1:21-22). It is about having temperance “in all things,” in every area of our lives. And if we practice good spiritual discipline, when it comes time for the race, we will be able to run without getting tired; our legs will have power and our hearts will be strong because we have sought God and He has prepared us. We will not “run with uncertainty” as Paul says, but with purpose, always keeping our eyes on the goal. It is only with the self-control of a disciplined spiritual runner that we will finish the race well.

​Unlike a marathon runner though, the prize we run for is not a gold medal that after a while will just be a memento of the past collecting dust on a shelf. As Paul says in verse 25, “Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” I get very excited when I think about what that crown means. It’s not just a prize or a pretty keepsake; it’s a crown reserved for royalty, for the adopted children of the King of Kings. That crown is for heirs to a kingdom, joint heirs with Christ, just as it says in Romans 8:17. How often though, do we act like heirs to the kingdom of God? Does our life show that we are disciplined runners who practice self-control through the power of the Holy Spirit within us? Is our eye on the prize, constantly reminding us that we are children of a Mighty Lord? Or are we slacking when it comes to our spiritual diet and exercise program? Sister, hear me when I say that we need to be mindful of the prize at hand. We need to run with certainty and purpose, for not only are other people watching, but that crown is not something to be lost because we failed to take the race seriously. So run, dear sister! Run with discipline and purpose for that glorious and imperishable prize. Run like a daughter of the King of Kings. I will see you at the finish line!
 
​Your loving sister in Christ,
​~ Lauren