God's Got It Rigged

I went into this summer with no expectations.

Well, that's not entirely true.

I went into this summer with almost no expectations.

I knew that I was going to Salt Lake City, Utah. I knew the area was the Church of Latter Day Saints headquarters. I knew the area was a nature-lover's dream, surrounded by mountains. But that was about it.

I knew that I was going to be a worship intern at a church that averaged 70 people on Sunday morning. I knew that the church had recently been through a transition period. I knew that my main job was helping with worship on Sunday. But that was about it.

I knew that somehow, God would move this summer. I knew that I would learn about worship and possibly what I wanted to do after college. I knew that God would be introducing me to new things. But that was about it.

I had no idea what this summer was going to look like. I had no idea what was going to happen every day. But I went in with an open mind. I was ready for whatever God was going to do.

And I spent the first Sunday morning in tears. I sat through the entire church service, surrounded by my family and people who would become friends, crying the whole time. The longer it went on, the more frustrated I got. I could not get a grip. My head was ready to be there, but for some reason, I couldn't convince the rest of myself that it was going to be good. I was embarrassed, and I was angry. And when I get embarrassed and angry, I will do absolutely anything to make sure that never happens again. So my family left, and I didn't cry again. I was determined that this summer would be good. It would be something different, but it would be exciting. God was going to do something, and I wanted to be there for it.

Let me tell you, it was good. God did something. I left there with new ideas and different perspectives. I left there excited to share some of the stories I got to experience parts of. I left there ready to embrace the unknown of whatever's coming next.

Here's the thing: God's got it rigged. This was the biggest thing I learned from this summer. And I know that sounds cheesy and a little bit obvious, but it was so incredibly clear when I was so far outside my comfort zone. God works all things together for his glory. I heard stories that showed this. My summer story shows this.

There were a couple of ladies who had been coming to the church who had a testimony that gave chills to anyone who heard it, including me. They had been in prision and dealing with drug problems, but one of them met Jesus and eventually led the other to him. They had a hard time finding a church that accepted them, so they were watching TV preachers. They were digging into their Bibles together, and they KNOW the Bible. They love it. One Sunday they happened to stream a Redeeming Life church service where a man who had been in prision and dealt with drug problems was being baptized, and they knew this was a church that would accept them no matter what. And this summer, one of them was baptized. It was a great moment. You could feel the presence of God in the room (watch it here). God used the story of another person to bring these two ladies into Biblical community that accepted and loves them. God's got it rigged.

Last semester was hard. If you talk to any college student, they'll tell you the same thing. 15 weeks of classes with no more than one or two days of breaks is rough. I think it was around mid-April when mental health took a downturn. I spent the last 3 weeks just trying to hold on. But through it all, God made one thing clear: he is faithful. The song "Promises" (here) by Maverick City Music became my anthem. God is faithful. This summer, I saw it to a new extent. God is faithful to work through his people. He uses each person to share his glory and gospel, even if they aren't aware of it. He used the people around me to teach me, encourage me, and love me well, so that I'm ready for whatever might come next. God's got it rigged.

I went into this summer with almost no expectations and a little bit of fear. And God went for it. He moved, he revealed himself, and he showed off. There's a lot more I could tell. I got to connect with a great group of ladies who welcomed me and celebrated my birthday with me (even though they did their best to embarrass me). I got to learn from a worship pastor who taught me techniques for worship leading and guitar playing. I got to lead with a great group of people who gave me room to mess up and jammed with me on the piano and tin whistle. I got to live with a family who shared their house, food, and dog with me.

There's a lot I'm still processing. There's a lot I learned in certain moments that God is still revealing to me. But the one thing I can look back on now and see is that God's got it all rigged. Whatever comes next, it's in his hands, and I can find peace in that. I hope that I'll get to go back to Salt Lake City one day to see how God has continued to work, but I'm also excited about whatever else he might have coming my way.

Sid

Some pictures and videos from the summer...

Bountiful, Utah