The Blue Dress Ball

Today - a story!

Maria had just found the perfect dress at the new consignment store in town. It was more like a gown than a mere dress, but it was the perfect shade of blue and fit like a glove. She giggled with glee as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She had moved to town little more than a year ago and quickly fell in love with the enchantment that filled the views from Main Street. Everything from the architecture of the old homes to the manicured lawns made her feel like she’d moved to the set of a cozy old movie. Everyone seemed friendly and welcoming.

Being forced to move from her old place a thousand miles away, she felt like her life was over. But here she could reinvent herself.

“Could life here really be this perfect?” she asked herself every morning as the sun came through her bedroom window.

But she was challenged to become an accepted member of her new community within the first few months of living there in paradise.

When the posters went up inviting the whole town to the annual “Blue Dress Ball” she knew it would be the perfect opportunity to show these folks what she was made of and how creative she could be when helping out. Staring at the poster, she imagined designing decorations and showing off her charcuterie board magic to pitch in with the catering.

The first day the planning committee met, she found herself sitting in the middle of a room filled with women who already knew their role; women who made it clear that they had things all wrapped up before she even moved to town. The meeting was just a social event that aimed to bring grand attention to the ones who always made it a huge sensation.

Saddened, but not defeated, Maria eased into the idea of attending without being taxed by securing party perfection. What a novel idea. In her old town she was the one who pulled everything together, constantly overwhelmed and exhausted after each community event.

“This might be a good thing,” she mused to herself with a chuckle, knowing she’d soon become frustrated with the notion of not being needed.

She did her best to be available should someone ask for her help with something, but when the big day dawned, it turned out that she wasn’t needed at all.

“I’ll just enjoy myself and get to know everyone,” she concluded.

Entering the park that surrounded the town center pavilion, she marveled at the lights and decorations the women had contrived. It was truly beautiful. Half the town was already there by the time she waltzed up front smiling from ear to ear, ready to introduce herself to everyone she hadn’t yet met.

Before perusing the heavenly smelling delicacies on the beautifully adorned tables and before the music swept her off her feet, she realized that no one was smiling back at her. As a matter of fact, they all seemed to be scowling at her.

One pretty teenager sashayed past her and spoke quite loudly, to be heard over the music and to make sure she embarrassed the newcomer. She said, “It’s called the Blue Dress Ball” for a reason, ma’am.”

She tossed her curls over her shoulder and joined arms with her friends without missing a beat. They all laughed at her like she was a freak.

“My dress has blue on it!” she insisted to herself, trying to keep the smile from falling off her face.

Her short dress was white with small blue flowers coming up from the hem. As she peered around at all the other women, she saw them lower their faces and shake their heads.

She quickly made her exit and ran home.

Sitting at her table in tears she promised she’d never speak to a single woman in this mean-spirited little town.

Then, no. She realized that wasn’t true. She’d have to speak to them. She lived there now. “What happened to the enchantment?” she whimpered.

She changed into her pajamas and slid into bed early, forcing her thoughts to avoid her feelings of humiliation.

Facing the townsfolk in the following days proved easier than she’d thought and before long, she began to feel like maybe she did belong there after all, noting that NEXT year, her dress for the ball would be completely blue.

Now she stared at the beautiful blue dress she’d found and bought before anyone else had a chance to snatch it up.

By the time the posters went up publicizing the ball this year, she was ready. She’d dropped her dress at the cleaners to make sure it was clean and pressed before the big night.

No, she didn’t get to help much this year either, but she pushed her way in where she could. Working from home didn’t give her the opportunities to make friends in the workplace. But she overzealously tried to find common ground with most every woman in the grocery store or the other shops on Main Street.

She was reluctantly invited to help put the posters up. “They don’t know what they’re missing,” she comforted herself. “I can do so much more, we could work together, my ideas would complement theirs, not challenge them. Maybe next year.”

This year, she would again try to enjoy being a mere participant, properly dressed this time!

The day before the ball she walked all the way to the dry cleaners, hoping to strike up conversation with anyone who looked her way. She wasn’t all that successful but talked the ears off the girl behind the counter at the cleaners.

When the girl retrieved the dress for her, she reached out with joy, knowing she’d fit in this year.

But the air left her lungs as she beheld her beautiful GREEN dress.

“How could this have happened?” she whispered to herself, trying to hide her panic.

She nodded at the girl and quickly left, clutching the dress close so no one would ask to see it. Not that anyone did.

She hurried home, forcing her tears to wait till she was behind closed doors.

She hung the dress in the hallway and stepped back to look at it again. She choked on her own spit. How had her beautiful blue gown turned green? Was this some cruel joke conjured up by someone who knew how embarrassed she’d been last year? She stared at it for at least ten minutes before she tossed it in the closet, letting it fall to the floor and slammed the door shut.

“The ball is tomorrow night. There’s no time to find something else that will work, surely every blue dress in town had been bought up by now,” she spoke down to herself. Even the few friends she’d made wouldn’t be able to help.

“It is what it is. I just won’t go,” she said with a stiff upper lip. “Maybe I’ll drive to the next town over and see a movie. By myself.”

After a deep breath and a promise to herself not to cry, she headed to the kitchen for ice cream.

A week later, disappointment still covering every place on her face, she was searching for a missing sneaker. “I live alone!” she muttered, “How can it not be with the other one?”

Crawling on her bedroom floor, she looked under the bed on both sides, then reached up to turn the knob on her closet door. Pulling it open, she grumbled a curse on herself if it wasn’t hiding somewhere in there.

Sitting crossed legged on the floor in front of the closet, her eyes wandered over to the new dress she’d refused to look at all week, still covered in the dry cleaners plastic.

Before she could even begin to search for her sneaker, her eyes widened and she gasped, holding her hands over her mouth.

In slow motion, she reached forward to grab at the dress.

The plastic wrap protecting it was – yellow!

How had she not seen that the day she picked it up?

She frantically ripped off the plastic to see that yes; her dress was still – blue.

She had no one to blame. She had no words to hurl at her own baffled brain. She felt tears gather in the corner of her eyes. She rocked back and forth for a few minutes, holding the dress to her chest. Then she wept.

 

What illusions are we falling for?

What color is the veil that hides God’s truth from us, keeping us from fulfilling His purposes in our lives?

What color veil has satan hung between our eyes and our reflection, hiding our beauty from us?

Our heavenly Father is the only One Who sees us as we truly are, because He sees the new creation we became when we first trusted in His Son.

I’m praying we begin to recognize the “protective plastic” that obscures truth and fools us into believing lies about ourselves AND lies about God, Himself.

 

What's in Your Closet?

(picture from oliphantlock .com)

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him….” – Revelation 3:20 KJV 

John Pantry is a singer we met in England who recorded some phenomenally incredible music. One song used this scripture as it’s premise and the chorus cheerfully beckons, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock and if any man hears my voice, I will enter in and take away his sin and together we will rejoice.” To hear the song, click here: Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock 

Pondering this verse led me to the thought that every verse we read in scripture means more to us each time we read it. God reveals new truth to us every time we read His Word, as we’re ready for it. “Behold”, He says, “I stand at the door and knock….” What door is He knocking on? The common answer is the door to your heart, because that’s where He longs to reside. 

But after letting Him into your heart, what if there are more doors for Him to knock on? What about all those closet doors you like to keep closed? Some of us will protest that there is no unopened door in their heart. Well, good for them. But some of us are an ongoing work in progress. 

We’re Christians, but we need healing in many areas of our lives. Our healing has already been provided, Jesus already took care of that. But sometimes we yield our wounds over to Him one by one, and little by little. 

You may just have a few closet doors in your heart, and they may not even be locked shut. Or – you may have many closet doors in there and you think you’ve got them all locked up tightly, secured against infiltration. No one needs to know what’s in them. In fact, you may have forgotten what you locked away in some of them. It's the silliest notion to think we can hide things from God. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we have hidden away in dark corners, and He knows what we’ll be doing at precisely 4:03pm next Thursday. He knows everything we know, and everything we don’t know. He knew where Adam and Eve were trying to hide even as He called out to them. He knew what they’d done – and yes, He still loved them. 

(picture from reddit)

No matter what’s buried in our closets, it’s okay, God isn’t mad at you. He loves you more than you can imagine, despite what you think. But He won’t go nosing around in our closets until we open the doors for Him. 

Once you work up whatever courage you think it takes to face what’s behind those doors, He’s ready and willing to go in with you and get them cleaned up and organized and ready to show off to anyone who passes by. 

He’s ready to give you that certificate of forgiveness or healing or deliverance or whatever the closet calls for. 

Television commercials ask, What’s in YOUR wallet? 

 Let me ask, rhetorically, What’s in YOUR closet? 

He’s knocking…….

Helen, Where are You?

(mindfulbalance.org)

Am I hiding? 

Again?

God knows exactly where I am when He calls to my spirit, “Helen, where are you?”

He knew where Adam was in Genesis 3:9 where we read, “…the LORD God called to Adam, and said to him, Where are you?”

He knows where you are, too, when you hear Him calling your name.

Since God already knows where we are, in every aspect of location, I believe He wants us to locate ourselves, and find ourselves in Him; tucked away under the safety of His wings, protected and empowered by the Blood covenant that ended our slavery to sin and self, living a life of abundance and blessing.

Feeling “lost” doesn’t necessarily mean we’re wallowing in a pig pen of sin and defiance. Perhaps we’ve just meandered off course and need to make our way back to Him.

Sometimes circumstances come up that catch us off guard. God knew what was coming, He knows He’s prepared us for it. Yet, sometimes we flounder, trying to fix things on our own. And sometimes that’s something only He can do.

When God calls, “Helen, where are you?” He’s asking so much more than my location. He wants to know why I’m crushing myself beneath a load I was never intended to carry on my own, and why I’ve stopped trusting Him to meet my needs and answer my prayers. Just as Paul asked the Galatians why they’d come so far in the Spirit, only to now return to the flesh (Galatians 3:3), God is asking why I’ve been behaving so foolishly.

(lifetime.org)

And, not unlike Adam, I’ve tried to hide – like a child covering his eyes and hoping we can’t see him.

Where am I? I’ve been pouting and crying and throwing a temper tantrum because things aren’t going according to the script I laid out.  

I haven’t forgotten God is in control, but I’ve tied His hands. I’ve attempted to “run interference for Him” and reroute the river of life – maybe even in the name of making Him look good.

Forgive me, Lord.

Your will be done. Your will, Your way.

Here I am, repentant and yielding to You.

I am not my own, I belong to You.

You are with me, I am with You, You are in me and I am found in You.

See me here in Your shadow, Almighty God.

Yes, I trust You, completely. Have Your way in me, O Lord.

 He's waiting. He's patient, long-suffering and kind, gracious beyond measure.

Answer Him.

Adam, Where Are You?

I Don't Care Where You've Been Sleeping - Don Francisco

(gospellive.org)

Withholdings

(photo mine)

Have you thought about?

You have a few things that God, Himself, cannot have unless you give them to Him, He won’t take them without your permission; and yes, they’re all things He filled you with in the first place.

You have a wealth of praise flooding through your soul. You can choose where you aim it and to whom you give it. We may praise our children for their beauty or a job well done. We may praise our spouses for taking such good care of us. We may praise the doctors and nurses for care given to our loved ones or to teachers for bringing out the best in our children. We may praise our favorite performers for their talent.  And, of course, we mean it all with sincere passion.

Believe it or not, there are self-centered, hurting people who have no praise on their tongue for anyone. You see them while shopping or dining out – or even in traffic, hurling anger at everyone in their path. Even their own spouse or children do nothing praise worthy in their darkened eyes.

Yes, our praise is something God desires from us; one of those things He allows us to choose to give to Him or to withhold from him.

(photo from leloveimage.blogspot.com)

Our thankfulness. Do we thank the one who prepared our meals? Or the ones that pour into our lives daily; the ones who let us have that choice parking spot or to cut in line ahead of them? What about the folks who pick up where we slack off?  Do we thank the ones who meet our tangible needs or the needs of our souls (our mind, will and emotions)?

Yes, we choose to be thankful. And we have to choose to thank God – for everything from the prosperity in our checkbook to our families and the multitude of blessings in our lives, to the very life in our bodies and our eternal salvation.

Our love. Where do we so lavishly pour out this priceless commodity? True, we can only express love to the degree we’ve received it and allowed it to work in our hearts. How I express my love might be entirely different than the ways you do it. Check out the book The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. Here’s his quiz to find out your love languages: Click Here for the Quiz

Upon reflection, from whom do we withhold our love? The neighbor who made us angry? The child who hurt our child? The boss who makes us work too much? The God we perceive as letting us down? Yes – you know, the One Who created us and has laid out the plans He has for our lives – plans to prosper us and fill us with great favor. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Loving anyone is a choice. Loving God – is our choice.

Our hearts. We hold them dear, we hide them to protect them; we build walls around them to keep them safe from hurt and abandonment – sometimes even from the One Who has promised, with a promise that cannot be broken, to never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5)

Is it even possible to love without allowing our hearts to become vulnerable? 

I think not.

(photo from A Woman of Faith, pinterest)

Is it worth pondering? Is it possible we’re withholding our hearts from God today?

In this season of Advent (advent means – the arrival of a notable person, thing or event), let’s seek this new adventure – exposing our hearts to God and giving Him what He so richly deserves and desire more than anything; our praise, our thanks, our love; our hearts.

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” – Deuteronomy 6:5 (KJV)

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” – Deuteronomy 7:9 (KJV)

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” – Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV)

Hiding

(photo from viktorpersson.com)

Is it fair to respond, “I don’t know…” when someone asks how you’re feeling; or to just shrug your shoulders and look away?

I suppose it depends on the why we think they asked. But, by presuming to know the motives behind their asking, we put ourselves into their mind, where we don’t belong, because, truthfully, we don’t know what really goes on there.

We believe we can safely surmise what someone’s thinking or what their intentions are, sometimes based on their past subsequent responses to us.  If, in the past, they seemed not to truly care, we conclude that this time is no different. But, what if in the past they did truly care, but didn’t quite know how to communicate their concern to us? What if their “care button” isn’t broken, but their “communication button” works differently than ours?

There are many reasons we turn from the attention of others. Perhaps we don’t think they actually care, or their personality overwhelms us. Maybe we don’t have the time or interest to reciprocate that care. Sometimes we may just feel like our concerns don’t deserve a spotlight or we’d rather keep them to ourselves, insisting that no one could help us anyway. It could be pride or it could be privacy.

(photo from nickelvery.com)

It could be that we honestly don’t even know in our own heart why we run from the love or attention others offer us.

Personally, the way thoughts often jumble together in my own mind sometimes causes me to panic, not finding the “correct” response fast enough, forcing me to emotionally shut down to keep from exhibiting an emotional response that others might not find acceptable. Of course, rightly or wrongly, I probably base what is “correct” or “acceptable” on past responses or my own imagination.

I guess I’m writing this post to probe: Why do YOU run? Am I alone in my feelings? Am I basing my actions and reactions on deceit?

Logically, if forcing things down inside myself hasn’t worked to “fix” things in the past, why would I (or we) think that this time that’s the fix we should reach for?

Yet, if reaching out for help in the past hasn’t yielded the results we hoped for, why would we continue to reach out?

(photo from thesaleslion.com)

I believe that God created us with a need for each other; a need to connect with each other, as a means of meeting our other human needs. If this is true, then it makes sense that the enemy of Life would want to sever our relationships wherever possible. No? Satan’s most effective tools against us include deception; false illusions, and cleverly created evidence to back up those deceptions. As people, we can be very vulnerable, perhaps to the point where we run from the very help we seek.

The Word of God instructs us to bear one another’s burdens, while a few verses later we read that we have to bear our own burdens. (Galatians 6:1-5)

The King James version of the Bible uses the word ‘burden’ in both places. Upon looking into the meaning of the Greek words behind the word burden, we find that in verse two, where we’re instructed to help bear the burdens of others, the word reveals a weight, something heavy bearing down on us. The word burden in verse five divulges a task, or a service. So, while we are to help each other with the concerns/burdens that weigh us down, we are each expected to perform the tasks and services God asks of us. We’re each to fulfill our own purposes; our own destinies, but will likely require help along the way when the weight of being human becomes too heavy for one soul.

Throughout scripture we read over and over again that God is our help in time of trouble.

The writer of Hebrews encourages us greatly:

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:6 (KJV)

God often chooses to meet our needs through the hands and hearts of those around us. The only need I can think of that God provides Himself, personally, is that of redemption. When He redeemed us, saving us from sin and eternal destruction, He did that through the cross.

(picture from stock-clip.com)

Even as Jesus commanded Lazarus to come from the grave, He turned to those around him and instructed them to release him from the graveclothes that bound him. (John 11:43-44 KJV)

The burdens of this life serve as graveclothes. Through the grace of His redemption, we’re further blessed with the body of Christ - each other - to help tear away the confines of binding graveclothes.

Yet……we hide. Why do you hide?

Oh The Shame...

(picture from el.board.bigpoint.com)

Let’s face it, we have all felt shame.

Some of us have endured it many times. Whether for an instant or it’s clung to us for a lifetime, the anguish can be crippling.

People dream about being naked in a public place. You may have even had that dream yourself. You may have awakened feeling shame, as if it had really happened. Even in a dream, shame is suffocating.

Whether the shame was brought on by foolishness or a mistake on our part, or imparted to us by a thoughtless and perhaps cruel person, its weight can be crushing.

Even when attention is diverted from you and the shameful spotlight is turned off; the feeling can linger and hide in the back of your mind, waiting to present itself again unexpectedly.

Shame is more than mere embarrassment. Its first entry at dictionary.com reads: the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc, done by oneself or another. Another entry reads: disgrace, ignominy. If we probe deeper, disgrace is defined: the loss of respect, honor or esteem; ignominy; shame. Yes, I had to look up that funny sounding word, too. Ignominy means: disgrace; dishonor; shameful.

Scripture has a lot to say about shame; the Psalmist himself uses the word quite a bit as he pens what his heart pours out. In the NIV Bible we can find the word shame at least 147 times, and at least 112 times in the KJV. We are definitely not alone in this experience.

The first time I see shame noted is when Adam and Eve were naked in the Garden of Eden, they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:25) Why is this pointed out to us?

Before sin, there was no shame. Sin disgraced man, stripping him of righteousness, and brought shame into the world, along with a host of other consequences. Although we can feel shame without committing a sin, it didn’t exist when Adam and Eve were one with God. Sin and rebellion separated them from God; and in that separation, even their nakedness became something they sought to hide. When shame comes upon us, we want to hide.

If sin (therefore, separation from God) brought shame, how better to get rid of it than by being reunited with God? Nothing we do in and of ourselves can bridge that gap. But, God provided a means of redemption, through His Son Jesus, the Christ. By accepting that Jesus took our sin, and all the shame that goes with it, to the grave, exchanging His death for our lives, we are redeemed. That act of grace (unmerited favor) provides the remedy for our dis-grace. We are reunited with the Father, taking on His robes of righteousness to clothe our exposed, vulnerable nakedness. This nakedness is more than the absence of clothing; sin disrobes us of righteousness, a covering in which there is no shame.

When we give ourselves to God, He doesn’t only want the good things He created in us, He wants it all; the good, the bad and the ugly. He takes our sin and shame and separates it from us as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12 KJV)

God won’t force us into a life of freedom, but He offers it to us, generously.

“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Romans 10:10-11 NIV 

What Won't I Look At?

(painting by Sarah Boardman)

Various topics can bring feelings of sorrow or sadness, just as some can bring feelings of joy and anticipation. But, what about when you can’t put your finger on what you’re feeling – or what brought those feelings on in the first place?

Today I looked at an internet piece on emotional eating, it was aimed at readers that may be eating for emotional reasons, not simply because they’re hungry.

Let’s face it, we eat for lots of reasons. There’s an old saying that goes: We are Americans; we eat when we’re not hungry, we drink when we’re not thirsty and we spend money we don’t have. It’s not really a saying that we, as Americans want to aspire to, but, too often, true.

Sometimes we eat because we’re sad. Sometimes because we’re celebrating, sometimes simply because the food is in front of us and we mindlessly put it into our mouths.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, most of the time the things we consume are a conglomeration of toxins we poison ourselves with; not really even food at all.

That brings us around to a topic that should make us sad and even angry.

If we stop and ask ourselves right now, knowing no one but God can hear our thoughts and answers: What emotions am I feeling right now? What answers will we list?

Then if ask why we’re feeling this way? How do we explain ourselves?

Some of us don’t resort to eating, we resort to shopping, or overworking ourselves, or we become addicted to working out, or we gamble or get drunk as often as we can. Why? An attempt to avoid facing something about our lives or ourselves that makes us ache?

What could be so bad about us, or about our lives that we can’t face it? In light of the fact that we’re not facing it alone, but with Almighty God – and all the resources of heaven, shouldn’t it be easier to look in the mirror and see our whole selves? If there’s a change we can make, why not make it instead of running from the reality of the need and hiding behind food or other addictions?

Ponder this with me, if you would. Give me your input, offer up some insight that might help us all. I'm looking for your comments and suggestions. I hope one of my next posts will shed some light on the subject with a mixture of your thoughts and mine.

James 1:22-24  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  (NIV)

Hidden Tears

(elephantjournal.com)

Who knows the sorrows hidden behind joyful smiles and the kisses blown across the miles? Who sees the sadness creep in when loneliness stalks the vulnerable? Who shares in the grief of the broken heart? Who understands the misunderstood? Who reaches out to the lost and the weary? Who watches over the miserable and sings over the barren? Who stands beside the confused and deluded? Who holds onto the desperate? Who speaks to lies and calls them powerless? Who, of Himself, sheds light into total darkness? Who alone, can turn over the dry, parched dirt left unattended and bring life from death?

If you’ve been overlooked, discarded, betrayed; if you’ve died at your own hand or the hand of another, grasp at hope; claw your way to clasp hands with life; cling to what you can’t yet see, but dare to believe.

Where is land more parched than in the valley of death?

May I be - “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” – Mark 1:3 (NIV)

May you see that:

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. – John 12:24 (NIV)

And that:

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6 (NLV)

Despair is sometimes along the path to wholeness; it need not be more than a side trail we get lost on for a moment. Lies are but temptations to look to the left or to the right, keep your eyes on the prize.

If someone tells you that God will meet you halfway, shake it off and know that He will meet you right where you’re at, before you move an inch to help yourself, He is there, reaching His hand out to you –

(turnbacktogod.com)

In Matthew 14 there’s a story I want you to look at closely and consider where you fit in.

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” – Matthew 14:25-33 (NIV)

I trust that you'll see it, you'll hear His voice.   –More importantly, God trusts you.