To More Moments

I had a moment yesterday.

Sitting there in Hebrew 2 class, reciting prayers in an ancient language that was completely foreign to me just a few short months ago, I had a moment.

Because exactly one year ago, I was in that same classroom, on the third Friday in January, sitting in on a Hebrew 2 class during the Seminary for a Day program that had me absolutely giddy over the prospect of embarking on this crazy journey called seminary. And here I am, just 12 short months later, marveling over all that the Lord has done.

To be honest, this road has been much more challenging than I expected it to be. The classes are more rigorous than I’ve ever experienced, the schedule is far more demanding than the 9-5 office job I’d grown accustomed to, and the stress of it all is often magnified by the inevitably slow process of establishing rhythms, routines, and community in a new place. But wow, the Lord has been so faithful in the midst of it all.

It was especially meaningful to have this sweet, full-circle cause for reflection in Hebrew class, because I haven’t had the best relationship with this ancient language over the past few months. In fact, I cried through most of my second day of Hebrew class last semester. Everything about it was foreign and strange – reading “backwards” seemed clumsy and awkward, and you could hardly call it reading since all of the letters looked to me more like stray dots and stick figures than meaningful symbols of language.

But yesterday, in the Lord’s kindness and grace, He gave me a sweet reminder of His immeasurable faithfulness in bringing me to that exact moment. I’ve lost count now of the number of times He’s carried me through to seasons that started out as nothing more than pipe-dreams-turned-prayers. And in every single instance, He’s used the challenges and difficulties along the way to make me ever more reliant upon His grace and goodness. Isn’t it humbling to stop and realize how fiercely and personally loved we are by our Savior?

And by the way, Hebrew is coming along with much fewer tears lately. Yesterday’s “moment” felt like a little celebration, a reminder that sometimes the hard things don’t stay hard forever, and sometimes we just get stronger and more resilient in the face of them. I am amazed every day by the marvelous capacity that our brains have for learning. The challenges are starting to look more like Greek syntax and seemingly endless papers, but I’m beginning to see all of the joy even in the midst of them, which is a kind of learning in and of itself. 

So, here’s to more moments. More glimpses of God’s goodness that I actually take time to slow down and notice. More time spent gazing in awe at the many facets of His faithfulness – not just to me, but to all of His people since the beginning of time. More reading the Bible as family history, not just far-removed fantasy. And more opportunities to celebrate even the tiniest victories, because these are the ordinary moments that ultimately make up our lives.

I read somewhere that January 17th is the day that most people abandon many of their well-intentioned New Year’s Resolutions. I haven’t actually decided on my resolutions yet (or if I’m even going to have resolutions, a decision which itself feels like a kind of resolution), so I’m not here to shame anybody. But if that was you, and you’re looking for a new manifesto for the next 11 and a half months of 2020, maybe you’d like to join me? Let’s have more moments together.

with love and wanderlust,
Cassady