When you read about the Israelites in the Bible, you can see that they didn’t always make the brightest choices. After experiencing all the miracles back-to-back in escaping Egypt—from being completely unharmed plague after plague to walking across the miraculously parted Red Sea—these people still got impatient so quickly in a moment of waiting. When they grew bored with waiting on Moses, they decided to take matters into their own hands. They melted all their gold down, making a “god” out of their own wealth and resources, and claimed that this was actually what got them out of Egypt the whole time.

The older I get, the more I see that it really is true: God always provides in His perfect timing when we love Him and follow His plan for our lives. Often, when I hear of God providing, the first thing that comes to mind is financial provision and practical needs being met. But just as much as He has always taken care of those needs, we’ve also seen Him provide in every good way—by doing things like placing friendships in our lives right when we need them. Or how about another form of provision that’s easy to miss if we’re not paying attention: the opportunity to rest.

I was recently listening to a podcast about seeking God’s direction for your life—learning to notice the “red lights” and “green lights” He gives us. Some doors seem wide open for us to walk through, while others remain firmly shut. Sometimes we don’t understand why certain opportunities stay closed, but we can rest assured that God always has our best interests in mind on the other side.

As I pulled into my driveway yesterday, I noticed how unusually green my yard was for this time of year. Okay, maybe that’s not so unusual for Mississippi. Still, it stands out vibrantly compared to the homes on the left and right of us this winter. Why? Well, unfortunately, I didn’t apply the big bag of fall pre-emergent weed control I purchased in time, and the weeds are thriving. I’m still learning how to care for our new yard and have made a few mistakes along the way. So, I guess the grass is always greener on the other side… unless it’s winter and your yard is full of weeds!

“Do not worry.” A command from Jesus that is often difficult for me to personally apply. When there is something going on in my life and I don’t see the end picture, panic can quickly creep in and create a strong sense of urgency to try to figure out how to resolve it all on my own. It creates striving. I find myself wasting precious time trying to figure out all the details or taking things on that were never mine to carry.