peace through the fog

As the thick white fog poofed though the vents, my guts informed my hollow brain that this was not good.

Though I’m no mechanic, I knew smoke inside a car under any circumstance—especially without turning the vents on—is inappropriate. Though I didn’t order white fog to invade my car on my morning commute, life is full of surprises.

Naturally, like any procrastinating-and-slightly-embittered used car owner would, I turned up the music and cracked the window. Problem solved, for now.

“Lord I don’t know where all this is going, or how it all works out.
Lead me to peace that is past understanding, a peace beyond all doubt.”

As I repressed the smoke and tuned into the music, the CD player sang these perfect words for me. Because you see, thick white fog in my struggling 1996 VW Jetta with a burnt out clutch, no shocks and three hubcaps, is actually further down on my list of items to be concerned about.

I recently quit my steady job to backpack Europe for six weeks, though I don’t have the money to do it. The weekly paychecks, health insurance, job security, paid vacation—will soon be gone.

The old cliché “you have to pay to play” has oddly become reality.

Simultaneously, I’m launching a video productions company with a college friend. With less than five weeks until I arrive in London on Independence Day, we haven’t even chosen the city we’ll be living in.

And the truth is this: I don’t know where this is going. I don’t know how it’ll work out.

I don’t know if I’ll endure another Michigan winter, officially become an immigrant troll and marry a Dutch princess, or if I’ll fall in love with a Southern Bell (yes, God, please) and country music (please, no, God) and emerge with a southern-twang-mixed-with-an-artic-Yooper dialect.

As intimidating as the path before us often appears, we must recognize God as the author of mystery, and trust that his ways and thoughts are superior to ours.

His promises? They’re real. His peace? Beyond all doubt.

The Word:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

Song lyrics from Newsboys, Lord (I Don’t Know)