This is Jeremiah de Sesto. The way that Jeremiah pursues the Lord is so inviting to the people he is around. He makes Jesus at the center of his life in a way that captivates others. He loves well, he lives passionately and he is open and bold about what he believes in. I am so lucky to know this one!!!
Last week, I quickly finished the new Netflix show, “The Queen’s Gambit”. If you haven’t already, its worth the short eight hours of binging, believe me. Besides the overarching and important themes of overcoming adversity, and the importance of empowerment that resounded with me, I was also drawn to what the plot could have never been without: chess, of course.
To me, 2020 was much like a chess board, and we were its pieces. There was so much destruction, so much division, so much loss, and unequivocally, so much pain. I felt as if God had dropped me in the middle of a chessboard, unaware, blinded and oblivious with no map, no objective, and nothing to do but to inevitably feel pain and loss.
However, I quickly realized that God never desired pain for us, but the original sin in the garden of Eden means we all are born sinners and have to endure both physical pain, and mental anguish. James 1:2-4 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature, and complete, not lacking anything.” James notes that it is inevitable for us to face trials, even if it comes in the form our world coming into a virtual standstill because of a global pandemic. It’s not IF we will, but when WE will.
Just as the pain of isolation and lost will make us stronger, God will use our emotional pain to draw us closer to Him and to accomplish His purposes. Just because we do not see a way out, does not mean that God doesn’t either. He says to trust in Him in ALL things, because faith begins where human understanding ends. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Trusting God means acknowledging that I am just like a little child trying to play a game of Chess. I do not have everything figured out. But HE does. It’s not so much what happens to us in life that’s important, but how we react to it. God is sovereign, and as such, things just don’t happen without God’s sovereignty behind the scenes. When we chose to give 100% obedience to Him, salvation will follow, and he’ll be the one calling “Check Mate” against evil on our behalf.
Stuff With K-Huff 