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Trust and Lean

by Jacob Abshire on August 25, 2015

“Last night, Darth Vader came down from planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn’t take Lorraine out, that he’d melt my brain.”

George McFly had a way of simplifying life, didn’t he? Sometimes, I wish Darth Vader would come down and tell me what to do. It would just make things easier. But, since Vader only exists in the imaginations of motion picture, I’m forced to improvise. No, I’m forced to trust and lean.

Trust and lean. It sounds simple. It’s not.

At the close of last year, I developed some rather high expectations for myself with every intention of seeing them through. Had I made them twelve months sooner, I might have met them with flying colors. But, as I’ve learned this year more than any other year, God’s plans take precedence. Furthermore, He doesn’t appear in a dark swathe (or yellow in George’s case) with a cape and unfold His plan. He says to trust and lean.

By trust, I mean we must lean into God’s will, confident of His sovereign power. By lean, I mean we must trust in God’s design, confident of His providential power. Yes, it sounds circular. We trust and lean.

Nearly three months have passed since I’ve posted an article or design of some kind. I really didn’t think anyone would notice, but some of you did. Some of you sent me messages of encouragement—not about my writings or my designs, but about me. They were personal inquiries. Most of you who contacted me were just wondering how I was doing.

I appreciate that.

So, in the spirit of friendly, up-to-speed-keeping, I wanted to share a little about what’s going on and what might be going on later. So if the Lord puts it in your heart to pray for me, you will be more equipped on how.

First, seminary has proven to be more time-consuming than I expected. I love every bit of it, but it swallows my leisure. So, when I would typically be writing a new post or designing a new wallpaper, I’m studying and writing essays.

Second, my pastor asked me to spearhead a new adult curriculum writing team for the church. In doing so, I had to write our lessons, as well as coordinate and develop other writers. This took all summer long.

Third, I’m old. I can’t stay up late and wake up early like I used to. It’s taken its toll on my body, and now I’m feeling the aches and pains that it has marked.

Other things in life certainly play a role. The kids are getting older. Business is growing. Work is increasing. Church is expanding. You know how it goes. The point is this: I trust that God moves me as He needs. And I lean into life with the plan I make and expect Him to guide me as He desires.

These past months of web silence have been God working in me, my family, and my time. And, while it sounds like a fun exercise of faith, it has been a time of quiet desertion. (I’ll hopefully explain that in a later post.) God has allowed me to see Him at a distance while experiencing Him nearby.

Trust and lean.

In preparation for this post, I peeked into my website to see what sort of updates needed to be applied and noticed that my visitor stats have increased in my absence. I’ll refrain from concluding that the increase is because of my absence and consider it an encouragement to get back at it. But, it will be in the Lord’s time.

Many have been awaiting the final designs for the “I Am” series, and I plan to return to those soon. I’ve also mapped out a series of posts on changing churches, developing ministries, leading a family, writing study guides, and overall commentary on Scripture. Only God knows what will ultimately make it to the web.

In the meantime, please tell me what you think. What sort of things would you like to see? What things on the site have been helpful to you in the past year? I know you aren’t Vader, but your words will mean a lot.

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