I woke up this morning in a bit of a funk. Not the good, wah-wah pedal kind of funk. No good reason. It’s been an exciting week with lots to be encouraged about. Sometimes anxiety and discouragement just blow in out of nowhere, like a prairie storm.
While looking through my desk for my songwriting notebook (I usually write on the computer, but sometimes the feel of pen and paper, no pixels, helps get things rolling.) I stumbled on a dusty old box.
I forgot in was even in there. I save the box from the Bible my family bought me at my baptism, and for years I kept things in it. Lyrics from the songs I wrote in college, birthday cards, the program from the first concert I ever played with my band “Justus” (We were pretty good, and where weren’t good, we were LOUD!), and the ticket stubs from the first movie Ruth and I ever went to. “The Matrix” (Yes, I was quite the Don Juan.).
Also in the box is a stack of encouragement notes. Notes from kids I pastored when I was in College. Notes from professors. Notes from other students. Notes from the first time I played “Deeper Shade of Green” and “Streets of Jerusalem” in the New Music Chapel. There’s a year’s worth of #throwbackthursday material in this thing.
All the notes say the same thing. “God has gifted you!”, “He has a plan for you.” “You’re great at what you do!”, “Thanks for your passion and humility.”, “Keep it up!”. It cut right to the heart of all the anxiety and insecurity that had decided to set up camp on my heart this morning.
This morning, God’s grace came to me through and old cardboard box in the back of a drawer in my desk, hidden away for such a morning as this. What a gift!
I pray that you too would stumble on Grace today, right where you need it.
Keith