Enduring through the Rough Times

I would say that God has taught me a lot over the last 4 months. Another semester is behind me, and I can say that I am now closer to God in many ways. He has taught me new things about Himself, and I have seen His power in ways that I have never seen it before. Now I am faced with a new challenge, working with kids everyday. Through this, God is continuing to teach me, stretch me, and grow me.

But I am not the only one who has been stretched by God over the past few months. So have many of my friends. Those of us at Union that were on campus the night of the tornado have seen God in a new way. Since then, we have all grown in our own ways. God has taught each person different attributes about Himself. He has used that one night to bring us all closer to Him. We all needed to learn different lessons as a result of that night, and I feel that many can now say that they are beginning to understand God's purposes better.

One person in particular that has been stretched to his limits over the past few months is Joe. Those of you from Union know him well. You probably saw him in a cast at the end of this last semester. Those of you who do not go to Union, let me fill you in right quick. Joe is my roommate. He was trapped in Watters Commons during the tornado for a short period of time and found his way out. He was also an RA at the time, and took great responsibilities that night at assuring that others had safety. He was stretched this semester as an RA during a messed up semester. Then in April, he broke his ankle and tore a ligament while roller skating with our church in Jackson. I texted him last night to see how he was doing after getting the cast off on Tuesday. He told me that it did not completely work, and now he will have surgery again on Monday to try this again. He still has 10 weeks to go on the recovery, and that will encompass most of his summer.

I know that God has a plan for keeping him down this summer. I want to encourage Joe (if you are reading this) to keep on living out your faith. Do not give up. The bright side to all of this is coming, and a new semester is not that far away. But for those of you who know Joe, this will not slow him down. He will stay as active as he can in anything he feels led to do. He will not let this broken foot slow him down at all. I admire that. Please pray for him as he continues through this process of recovery. Pray that he will continue to look to God and see what it is that God is wanting to teach him through this.

And for everyone, when those rough times come (sometimes all at once), remember to look to God through it all. Do not give up. He will see you through it.

Matt