I have never been the kind of person who makes friends easily, so growing up, I had very few of them. My family was my friends. I made most of my connections online through my social media posts, where I shared encouraging scriptures and devotionals daily after I completed Junior High more than ten years ago.
My mum bought me a tablet, which I cherished because it made posting blog and social media content very easy. I loved that tablet. To wake up one morning and realize it had been stolen was devastating. I was heartbroken. I used the tablet to share many inspiring posts on social media. I used it to read my late Aunt’s tribute at her funeral. I had pictures and videos of my puppies on there. There were a lot of memories on there.
I remember reading Jeremiah 29:11 before bed the night before the tablet was stolen. There was no hope of finding whoever stole the tablet, let alone the tablet itself. I prayed some not-so-good prayers, but eventually, through encouragement and prayer, I made peace with it. It was time to move on. The words from Jeremiah 29:11 filled my heart whenever I thought about them, though they wouldn’t make sense until precisely two years later, when I moved to the US to start a new life.
I arrived for the first shift of my first-ever job in the US. My credentials were handed to me, and I realized that my password was the same one I used to unlock my tablet: every letter and number. The company chose our usernames and passwords. To me, it was not a coincidence but rather a reminder from God. What I had walked into, the journey I was beginning, was far more incredible than what I had lost. At that moment, Jeremiah 29:11 made sense.
‘For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord . “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ‘
Jeremiah 29:11
Friends, at times we go through hurtful and unfair situations that we think we will never get past. God used that moment to remind me that His plans for my life are far more extensive than anything I have lost. While I continue to face challenging moments like every other human being, God uses them to remind me that He is always by my side and that no obstacle is too great for Him.
It’s okay to hurt and cry over unfair circumstances, but there is peace that comes from trusting God with them. Allow Him to walk you through His plan for your life. Trusting God is never a waste of time; in the end, He will restore everything you have lost.
I am praying for you today.
Your friend, Edmund.
xx