Where Are You? April 23
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Justin Wood
“But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9 NIV)
Do you have any snow globes? When my kids were young, they loved to shake and flip those globes until all the “snow” was swirling around. Now, imagine if you were actually in the snow globe that my kids were violently shaking. A traumatic event like a car wreck, an unexpected death of a friend, or a cancer diagnosis will violently shake your life—your snow globe. All your “normal” is upside down and swirling around you.
In today’s passage, Adam and Eve found themselves, theologically speaking, in maybe the most painful trauma ever. You might say Adam and Eve’s snow globe held this glorious, perfect garden with no pain, no illness, and no sin. Then, they ate the wrong fruit and BAM! Sin entered the world, and that snow globe was shaken like no snow globe you’ve ever seen!
In the middle of this trauma, God could have said or done anything, but He just asked Adam and Eve one simple question. That simple question, “Where are you?” shows how a loving God wanted to help two people in deep trauma.
Where are you? This may be the most brilliant question to ask someone who is going through a traumatic event. Where are you in your feelings? Where are you in your finances? Where are you in your thoughts?
Why is that question so powerful? Using the snow globe example, when the crisis happens and the snow is flying everywhere, it is so easy to get focused on all the things that have changed. Moreover, it is easy to focus on the unknown of where all these things will land.
“Where are you?” invites the person to take a detached inventory of what is inside and outside of them. In the snow globe example, the question is an invitation to look past the swirling snow and find something in your trauma that is steady and hasn’t changed.
So, when you look in the mirror or talk with a friend, begin the habit of asking, “Where are you?” You can pick any area of life. When the person starts sharing, just make two mental categories: the things moving and the things not moving. Using the snow globe example, honor and discuss the “snow” (the moving parts) of what they are experiencing. Hear their concern about these moving parts and the fears about where all this snow might end up.
Continuing with the snow globe example, ask them to identify the areas in life that aren’t moving right now. Encourage them to orient themselves towards these things that are steady in their life.
Pray: Jesus, when my snow globe of life is flipped upside down, allow me to see You and Your steadiness in my crisis. As things change around me, I desire to be rooted in You. Amen.
Your Turn: Write down the “snow” in your globe (the things floating around you). Write down the things in your globe that are steady.
Justin Wood, Childhood Cancer Survivor
Justin lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky with his wife and six homeschooled kids. Through his life, Justin has become a wonderful mix of entrepreneur, English teacher, and foreign missionary. He is a survivor of childhood cancer. Justin is very grateful for Cancer Companions and the opportunity to be a part of this devotional writing process.
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