Weepy and Broken

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.     ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This morning finds me still a bit weepy from the emotional roller coaster on which I found myself yesterday…. Meanwhile, this post may stray a bit from my usual format.  Today I bring you part movie review, part reflection, and, prayerfully, part encouragement.

One of my favorite bands has been making a film over the course of the past few years.  I’ve been eagerly awaiting its release.  Yesterday, we took the time to watch said film.  I was entertained, inspired, informed, and basically reduced to a blob of emotional goo.  So much in the film hit so close to home for me!  

The movie is Unsung Hero, produced by the Smallbone family.  If you are at all familiar with contemporary Christian music, you will probably be able to identify this as the family of the band For King and Country and solo artist Rebecca St. James.  The film chronicles the family’s journey in moving from Australia to the US, and it walks viewers through some of the struggles they faced and some of the obstacles they’ve overcome.

Without revealing too much detail (because you really should see this film!), while in Australia, Mr. Smallbone made what would turn out to be a very costly business move that prompted him to seek out a new opportunity in the States.  With his pregnant wife and six children, Smallbone journeyed to the US, only to find that the opportunity he’d been offered was no longer on the table.  And so the family found themselves basically broke and stranded.

Wow, did that hit home for me!

Learning to live on very little, trust God’s provision, and become humble enough to accept help from others - these are hard lessons.  Watching these scenes play out on a large screen took me back…

To the Walmart parking lot in a city where we’d never been, where we were out of money, out of gas, and basically stuck after an opportunity had been cancelled last-minute…

To the church parking lot where we sat regrouping, not knowing how we were going to move on with a vehicle issue we could not afford to fix…

To the roadside where our vehicle caught fire…

To so many moments where I wondered what impact my life choices were having on my children, praying the Lord would protect them from bitterness and resentment, and that He would somehow supernaturally enlighten them with knowledge and wisdom when my parenting and homeschooling efforts fell so short, so often…

As we drove home yesterday, there wasn’t a huge lot of conversation between Jeff and I.  But we talked a little…

“So that one mistake [choosing to do such-and-such with so-and-so] is what really messed them up,” Jeff commented.  “And then when [so-and-so did such-and-such] when they got to the US, that just sealed it for them.  I can’t believe he did that!” 

Initially, I was tempted to agree.  That’s how I would have seen it in the moment.  “It was MY mistake.”  “HE put us in a bad situation.”  

BUT…

On this side of the story, I can see things very differently.  “Mistakes,” struggles, letdowns, scarcity - all of these were steps along the road that has given the world the music of Rebecca St. James and For King and Country and movies like Unsung Hero and Priceless.  Had David Smallbone’s life and career gone as it was “supposed to,” many, many lives would be different.  

Including mine.

The film kind of broke me, but (I think) in a good way.  I was reminded of God’s faithfulness throughout our adventurous life thus far, and reminded that my God has not changed.  My story may not be as dramatic as some, but the story’s still being written.

And that would be my encouragement to you today: your story is still being written.  The mistakes of your past are being redeemed by God in ways you may not be able to see just yet.  What someone did to you set in motion the series of events that brought you where you are today.  It may have brought you in touch with people you would not otherwise have met, or it may have taken you to places you would not otherwise have gone.  And maybe it still doesn’t feel like a good place or situation.  Just trust that God is using it.

Because He is.

HE IS.

Hang on, my friend.  Hang on.

…Just a thought…

PS - If you knew us during the road years, there’s a very particular vehicle in Unsung Hero that looked VERY familiar and left me wondering…