Don't Worry, God is in Control :)

Well It’s been a while since my last post… about 3 weeks. I know of only two people who read my last one and that’s enough for me to keep going…. Sooooo.
Life in South Africa has taken some getting used to. Its one thing to go away for a couple weeks but to spend what has is now been 4 weeks is getting to me. It’s exciting at times and at others it’s very exhausting. Now we have I believe 14 more to go. So here’s the deal… one blog post a day. Many will be short, and pointless but nonetheless it’s going to happen. I’ll talk about God, photography and experiences.

Hope you enjoy.

         Through the past 4 weeks there have been some awesome experiences, one of the greatest things was getting to see the sunrise over the Indian ocean… for most a sunrise over the ocean period was a first being from the west coast and only watching sun sets. The weather on that morning was perfect; cool, breezy, with just enough clouds on the horizon and in the sky for the sun to reflect its light on. As the sun came up it was absolutely beautiful. I sat there in awe of how amazing God is. Looking at the sunrise I was reminded and decided to open my bible to Job 38; The point right where God answers Job out of a storm and goes off on how awesome he is. It was amazing to me that the first things that God mentions is how he created the ocean and then the sunrise. I stood there absolutely humbled. That weekend and the week before, it seemed as though God took every opportunity to remind me about how to act during times of brokenness and suffering. During daily reading, an email devotional I got from a friend, in conversations with people, in studying medieval iconography, and church services. I read scripture and understood that, good comes from God, we should take joy in trials, we find God in dark places and brokenness. It was truly incredible how much this was being pounded through my head. Then I though about why God was teaching me this. I though about what suffering and confusion I’m going through right now and came up with… I’m a little tired and I haven’t gotten enough sleep. Then I thought… wait… that cant be it… what if God is preparing me for something. That was it. Monday during class I was notified that one of my close friends and youth leader from back home had committed suicide.

This sucked. It was definitely something I didn’t need wile in South Africa. I definitely felt it. But luckily I was reminded and prepared how to act in such a situation. I found peace for the family, and others effected by this, that God is in control. And he knows what he’s doing. I could only pray that God had prepared the family and was there helping them through it all, cause I know it had to have hit them harder than me. God prepared me so I was able to pray.

Verses to consider

Job 38

James 1:2

Isa 45:7

God Is Good

All the time

Grace and Peace

-Jon