Abandon: Five Minute Friday

Five Minute Friday has become a true joy for me. This community is so warm and inviting. I've built relationships through reading and responding to people who have poured out their hearts in just five minutes. I'm ecstatic at the realization that I will finally be meeting some of them in real life this summer! (There are still some tickets available if you think you want to join us in Kansas City, MO this summer at the FMF Retreat!)
Here's Kate's website with all the information.

This week's prompt is "Abandon".

Go!

I've been lingering on this word for the last 36 hours, ever since the prompt went live. I could take the word in a positive or a negative sense, or both.

But really? I want it to reflect hope. So here we go.

As a young child, I experienced unintentional abandonment. We were on a cross-country trip from Colorado to Oregon and somehow in the headcount, I was overlooked.
My parents didn't get far before returning to the gas station and I don't have a concrete memory of the incident, but they have told me about it.
To this day, I still have trouble with goodbyes.

My Lord, however, has told me He will never abandon me.
"For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath." Deuteronomy 4:31

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

I have had several moments in my life since the time I intentionally accepted Jesus as an independent adult that I felt abandoned. The rug was pulled out from under me, and there was nobody there. My friends weren't home or answering their phones. Another more recent time of great trial for me, my husband was away on a business trip and there were no human comforters available.
I felt so ALONE.
But do you know? I wasn't.
God knew that I can tend to rely on the ones I can see and hear, and forget to rely on Him FIRST. For that very reason, I think He orchestrates those trials to line up with the absence of human help in my life.
It is I who often abandon God's side. I run off, doing my own thing, getting excited about what I think I'm seeing ahead of me, not realizing I'm wandering away from Him.
He does not abandon me, but patiently comes alongside me.

So, I leave you with the song that brought me great great comfort in that time of trial.
"I am not alone" by Kari Jobe

(and if you have time to visit SoundCloud, my friend Shannelle Cayetano has an AMAZING cover of that song!)
Shannelle Cayetano on SoundCloud


-Tammy
P.S. Please let me know your linkup number or URL so I can find you and comment back. :)