Relax, no stress

Again, we’re really enjoying our visit to the Netherlands. A 55th anniversary celebration in Zeeland with beautiful weather. Time with family and friends—and, of course, Dutch food. We’ve already feasted on Dutch asparagus, endives, Brussels sprouts, green beans, herring, kibbeling, cheese, brown bread with lots of seeds, Dutch gingerbread, licorice, stroopwafels, croquettes, and so much more. We’re as happy as kids.

Once again, it became clear just how much of a Master Puzzler the Lord is. He puts exactly the right pieces together. Take, for example, the little house near Voorthuizen. It turned out to be available at just the right time. So we were able to move back into this beautiful oasis of peace—with the cuddly cats, of course.
And Bees, the little kitten, has grown up now. Maybe you still remember his amazing story.

Bees was orphaned before he was even a week old. But luckily, he was taken under the wing of Soof the dog, who even started producing milk for this little ball of fur. With a few dog-like traits still lingering—like walking around with a stick in his mouth and chasing after a ball—Bees has grown into a truly playful tomcat.

But the arrangement for a small car was also another masterful piece of customization. The first week, we were able to borrow Amanda’s sister’s car because she was on vacation. But after that, we still didn’t have anything. Sure, you can pedal through the polder on your city bike, but that’s not exactly ideal. There wasn’t anything for us among the used cars for sale either, and every time we stopped by to see a mechanic friend of ours, he just happened to be away. Hmm, as we’d already said: the Lord must have something else in mind. And indeed.

A few days before we were supposed to return the borrowed car, we struck up a conversation with someone over coffee at church. What stood out was that as He was saying goodbye, he asked us three times if there was anything he could do to help us or if we needed anything. When we told him we still needed a small car, it turned out he happened to have an extra one. He’d been wondering what to do with the car—de-register it, put it in storage, or something else. It turned out to be something else. He was more than happy to lend us the car for as long as we needed it! He was happy, and we were happy! Wow, God is so good!
How amazing that you speak to the right person at exactly the right moment. God truly takes good care of His children. He directs and arranges things, and in this way provided a loaner car right at the coffee table.

Our plans for the future are still unclear for now. But even in that, we can trust that the Lord is making the plans. Just as a general in an army makes his plans, positions his troops, and gives orders. So it is with our great General. He knows exactly where and when to send on a mission to achieve the desired results.

We sometimes get asked how we manage to do it—not knowing what lies ahead, yet still staying calm. Well, we can say it’s a learning process. But it all comes down to letting go and trusting. It’s a trust that God is always good and has the best intentions for everyone involved. And having the confidence that He truly knows better and can handle things better than we can. Let God be God. That’s what He does best—not us. Take Him at His Word. He is faithful!

When you do that, you’ll find the peace and rest that surpasses all understanding. Just as it’s described in Hebrews 4:1–13: we must strive to enter that rest. It can be a struggle to let go of your “yes, buts” and start trusting your amazing Creator. But then you’ll have something special!

The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.

The point is not just to read the Word, but to live it!