Kate Maahs

John 6:35

Thursday, March 1

35 Jesus said to the, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. – John 6:35

My sister Ella and I are very close, so seeing her leave for a gap year in Thailand was really hard for me. While overwhelmed with joy for her, I was terrified of all the scenarios that could go wrong, and how much I would miss her. I should have brought all my worries to God, but I didn't, putting myself in a terrible state of mind.

The night before my sister left my mom said that I needed to be strong tomorrow and not to cry in front of my sister (I did). When my mom left, I sat in my room alone, calm on the outside, but sad on the inside. I felt the lump in my throat that you get before you cry. The only thing I could think of doing was to pray, to turn all my worries to God. The next morning when my sister was ready to leave we had a family prayer. My dad said even though she was leaving, we were all together in heart and will be again. God would help us and guide Ella through her journey, keeping her safe. We thanked him for giving us such a wonderful family! We loaded up the car and left.

I was the last one to say goodbye. I flew into Ella's arms, knowing this would be the last time I got to hug her for a long time. The only words I could say were, "I love you so much!" and "Everything will be ok." I probably said that 15 times. I finally believed it. I believed God would be there for us, I said maybe five words the rest of the day, until that rock in my throat and the feeling of tears left my mind. I knew she would be ok. I turned to God, I believed in him. My sister was not only ok, but she was thriving! This made everything better and made me closer to my God.

Questions for reflection:

• When was a time you should have turned to God, but chose not to? How do you think the outcome could have changed?
• What has believing in God done to change you and your surroundings in a situation where you needed him?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please help us remember that when we come to you, we will no longer hunger, and believing in you we will no longer thirst, but finding you will only bring comfort and abundance to our life.