Being Okay With "Annoying," Part II

They tell me that one of the key components in ministry is being vulnerable. Honesty is the best policy, right?

I remember a Sunday night in children's church back in the day where we learned about honesty. At the end of the night we were challenged to go out and "be PocaHonest." I've never forgotten that (insert wise quip on the importance of children's ministry here). 

So, are you ready for me to be Pocahonest? I don't paint with all the colors of the wind, have a pet raccoon, talk to a tree named Grandmother Willow, nor am I in love with John Smith. Hope you weren't expecting any of those (although I wouldn't mind the John Smith part). 

Ok, here's my Pocahonest moment. 

That "Being Okay With Annoying" thing I talked about in my last post? Yes, well...turns out I'm not so good at that. The last few weeks have been...ahem, challenging. My glamorous job of making donuts and coffee is not a great get-out-of-bed motivator. I know you're shocked to learn that. And I'm sure you're shocked to learn that not everything I write about is something I've mastered. 

Okay, maybe you're not so shocked.

I've struggled to get my hands on a good attitude as I go to work. I'm not good at finding joy in things I don't particularly enjoy. And I'm really bad at being optimistic when I'm by nature slightly more pessimistic. Like I said: challenging. 

In a bigger project that I'm working on, I've been reminded that I need the Gospel. I need it everyday. EVERY. DAY. I need to be reminded that Jesus Christ loves me enough to die for me, and that love is enough for me to make donuts with His glory as my goal (I Corinthians 10:31). My contentment isn't found in my job (this I've become frustratingly aware of). My contentment should be found in Jesus Christ, "who gave Himself for [me] to redeem [me] from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a [person] for his own possession who [is] zealous for good works" (Titus 2:14). 

I need the Gospel. I need to be reminded of the love that went to the cross, and the power that brought Him out of the grave. The same love still loves me today, and the same power is going to give me strength, endurance, wisdom, and even a good attitude as I—you got it, make donuts. 

So, has God given me something I can't handle? Of course not. It's just taking a little bit longer to learn how to handle it than I thought it was going to. 

There you have it—part II of "Being Okay With Annoying," written by yours truly, Pocahonest. I'll keep you posted on the John Smith thing. 

Being Okay With "Annoying"

"God won't give you anything you can't handle."

Ok, that's valid. I Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

You usually hear this when you face something huge that is way above your pay grade.

You just lost your job.
Your brother was given 6 weeks to live.
The diagnosis was cancer.
Your spouse has been unfaithful.
The baby you were carrying has no heartbeat.

These are huge things. These are hard things. These are things that bring the temptation of bitterness, the temptation of blaming God, and the temptation to walk away from the One who promises strength to endure it.

And those concerns are legitimate. Those trials are huge and hard. And the temptations that accompany are pretty convincing at times.

But what about the little things? What about things that are just plain old annoying? The things that may give the evil one a foothold?

Don't those things bring similar temptation?

Don't get me wrong; those what-just-happened-things are huge. I am not trivializing the tough things that life throws our way. But why is I Corinthians 10:13 only mentioned in those can't-see-around-this-one moments?

I've found myself preaching 1 Corinthians 10:13 to myself lately. I'm not enduring any life-questioning trial right now, but its words ring true.

I'm working an hourly-wage job where I make doughnuts and coffee. I'm a college graduate with a decent résumé learning to thank God for my hourly job that leaves me smelling like a giant doughnut (this may be good or bad, depending on how much you like fried dough).

This is a small thing, but it brings the same kind of temptation. Am I tempted to be bitter about working a high schooler's job that is somewhat unfulfilling? Yes. Am I tempted to blame God for not giving me a dream job right out of college regardless of how unreasonable that is? Yes. Am I tempted to be wildly jealous of all of my friends who are getting engaged or married right now? Yes. Is that last one irrelevant to this entire post? Yes, but I thought I'd throw it in just for kicks.

And then I'm reminded of I Corinthians 10:13, where it says that I'm not the only one being messed with by these temptations. These thoughts, these pulls to mental misdeeds, are common to man...I'm not alone! And, God is faithful. He knows. And He's going to give me strength to endure it. That may be in the form of providing really good shoes so that my feet don't hurt so much after a 9-hour shift. Or arranging the schedule so that I work with the people that I connect with the best. Or, reminding me through the Spirit of Scriptural truths like 1 Corinthians 10:13 throughout the day.

You see, the Bible is good for all of life. In every season and at every turn. I can't just reserve certain parts of it for things that are really hard, and disregard those parts when they're not needed. We are to be preaching the "whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) everyday to ourselves and to others...because all Scripture is from God and beneficial for our use (II Timothy 3:16-17).

So today, I'm thankful for God's faithfulness in the big things—the huge, hard, you've-got-to-be-kidding-me things—and in the little, monotonous, annoying things. His faithfulness is unchanging (James 1:17), no matter what your circumstance is, however big or little it may be.

And remember, God won't give you anything you can't handle.

Every Good and Perfect Surprise...

Have you ever had a surprise party that you kind of knew about, but it still surprised you?

You walk into your house knowing something's up, but really not sure what? Or maybe you definitely know there’s a party, but when you get there it’s way bigger than you thought it would be?

When my dad turned 50, my mom acted surprised when “random” friends just “dropped by” one by one for dinner. My dad knew something was up, but didn’t think he would be adding 25 chairs to the table that night. It exceeded his expectations, and caught him by surprise. 

The thing that makes a surprise party so special is that the person (or people) who throws it for you knows you well enough to invite who you’d want to invite, make what you’d want to eat, and be where you’d like to be.  They’ve calculated the details, and taken time to make your surprise fantastic. Just for you. Just. For. You. 

Last Monday, I met with a magazine editor who was going to give me some writing assignments for the week. Cool! A story here, a story there. I knew it was going to be some work, but until we met, I really didn’t know how much work.

I spent the rest of the week running (literally) from one place to the next, talking to people, finding the stories, writing, getting to know the media team, and consequently, not sleeping. (Ok, I did sleep. Just not very much.)

What is that phrase—Experience is the best teacher? Well, it’s true. 

You know what else is cool about surprises? The surprise is tailored exactly for you. To someone else, it might be torture, but to you, it is perfect.

God has a way of doing that...when you least expect it. In fact, He specializes in this kind of thing. (Okay, what does he NOT specialize in?)

The job was much bigger than I was expecting - like my dad’s birthday dinner that was bigger than just the six of us. But I was ok with that. The week was exhilarating and I had more fun than I thought was possible. 

It was an absolute surprise, something that I couldn’t see coming. (Like when your rental car turns out to be a 2012 Camaro!) But God had it all mapped out ahead of time. There He goes, being all sovereign again. In addition to having a ton of fun and building writing skills, I made excellent professional contacts from whom I can learn a lot(!), added by-lines to my portfolio, and found something that I love doing—giving me clearer direction for post-college life. 

Immediately James' words came to mind: “Every good and every perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:17-18).

God, the ultimate surpriser, took His deep, intimate knowledge of me (Ephesians 1, Romans 8), and crafted this perfect, over-the-top surprise for me last week. He knew what I would love, and I couldn’t have even asked for anything better. 

And then, God pulled back the curtain and said, “See, child? I know you better than you know yourself. And I do have great things in store for you. You just have to trust me.”

College is Over...Now What?

A strange thing happened the other day...something that I've only ever dreamt about. But it was real.

I was wearing a black gown over a new red dress (seriously, why did I buy a new dress just to wear a robe over it all day? Good thing it was only $15) a funny hat (that gives you the worst hat hair possible), and golden cords lay around my neck.

And there I was, standing at the top of the steps.
"Emily Marie Gehman, with highest honors."
They read my name, and I walked across the stage.
This is it. This is the culmination of the last four years. 


I shook the president's hand, received my (very expensive) towel and diploma (cover) and walked off the stage. (I'm sure glad it was a walk and not a trip across the stage!)

And just like that, it was over.
My college career was over.
That sure went by fast.

I am a college graduate! Does this, like, mean that I'm like, a real, like, adult or something? Zoikes, Scoob!

The funny thing is, learning, whether formally or informally, simply teaches you how much you don't know. (My parents are going, "We paid HOW much so you could learn THAT?!) In the grand scheme of things, I couldn't pack very much knowledge into a four-year undergraduate program. There's a lot left to learn!

But one thing I do know: God is faithful. He was faithful to get me to Baptist Bible College. He was faithful to keep me at Baptist Bible College. He was faithful to teach me at Baptist Bible College. He was faithful to love me through the college years. And He will be faithful to do all of those things at wherever the next stop is going to be. To get me there. To keep me there (for however long He sees fit). To teach me there. To love me there.

So He whispers, "I know what life after college looks like, and I won't let you down. Trust Me."

Oh, how thankful I am for God's faithfulness!

The Fight I Didn't See Coming

I am in a love-hate relationship with this verse:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will direct your path."
Proverbs 3:5-6

I love this verse because it tells me that all I have to do is trust God.
I hate this verse because it tells me that all I have to do is trust God.

Do you see my dilemma?

Yes, well, there seems to be a disconnect between my head and my heart.
On one hand I love this verse, because it says that I don't have to worry about things and that I just need to trust God - besides, He's got it all figured out anyway! My logical thought process goes something like this: "Trust God, that's all. That's all He asks - trust Him, follow Him in righteousness, and trust Him with my life. He'll do what needs to be done. He'll lead, and I won't have to do anything to make my life something beautiful...that's His business, that's what He does. If I try to do it by myself, it will be anything but beautiful, and I definitely don't want that."

But then my selfish heart says, "Yeah, buuuuuut, I really want this, and I'm sure that it's the best. So I'll just do what I think will work so that my life turns out the way I want it to."

What's wrong with this picture? The loop between my head and heart has short-circuited, leaving me in this internal fight. This battle seems to have no end in sight, it's distracting, and very exhausting. I don't understand why my heart tries to trump my head, even though my head knows what is right.

So you see, Proverbs 3:5-6 is quite the taskmaster for me. I hate it when it tells my selfish heart that its efforts are futile, but I love it when it reminds me that all I have to do is trust God! When my selfish heart starts to take over, it gently (ok, and sometimes not so gently) tugs me back to the Scriptures and the pure heart of God... "Trust me, daughter. Stop trying to do things your way and just trust Me. I know what I'm doing, and it's going to be way better than you can even dream of. But you have to trust Me."

So, I guess I really do love Proverbs 3:5-6. Like, a lot. It just takes me a while to get there sometimes.