25 years later

I had a phone call that really shook me up. It brought up things I had actually managed to put aside—and was grateful to have done so. Now I had to go over it all again. I’d been feeling restless all afternoon. And now this phone call, which didn’t make the situation any better …
I longed for a comforting word and opened my Bible. There it said:

“Courage!” he said. “It is I. Don’t be afraid!” Mark 6:50 (©Good News Translation)

I’ve owned this Bible for a very long time, and especially in my younger years, I had a habit of sometimes writing a date and a comment in the margin whenever a verse became important to me. Next to this verse from the Gospel of Mark, which I had just read, it said “January 2001.” So, 25 years have passed since then. As a comment, there were a few cryptic words written beside it. Among other things, it read: “Uncertain future” and “Moving.” It was a time when it wasn’t quite clear what the future held for us. My husband’s studies were behind us, as were his first two and a half years working at a TV station, and now the question was: What comes next?

A lot has happened since then. My husband went on to have a good job at that very same TV station for a few years before he started his own business. And we actually did move; about 15 km from where we used to live, we found a house with what has since become a beautiful, large garden—a place that has become our home. The other two issues that were also listed as comments next to the verse are now completely a thing of the past.

So, there I sat, reading this encouraging verse and thinking: So much has turned out well. So many problems I used to worry about are either no longer important today, or have taken a fantastic turn.

This thought encouraged me to trust too, regarding the things weighing on my heart today. To trust that God has a good plan and that Jesus says even today:

“Courage!” he said. “It is I. Don’t be afraid!” Mark 6:50 (©Good News Translation)

This applies to you as well! Today and in the future!