Hey, Carpool Crew. Welcome back. I'm Pastor Justin. Happy Saturday. Now, you know when you start standing outside the gym for the first practice with a brand-new team, everybody in there already knows each other. They have stories and inside jokes, and your hand's been on the door a little too long because you're nervous to go inside. Well, let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride. God is already there. Listen to this from Genesis chapter twenty-eight, verse sixteen. "When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.'" Now, here's what's going on. Jacob has left home. He's traveling alone. And when the sun goes down, he lies down outside with a stone for a pillow. That's a pretty rough night's sleep. That night, he has a dream. There's a stairway to heaven with angels going up and down, and the Lord is standing beside him and says, "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go." And Jacob wakes up. He says this: "The Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." Look at what he doesn't say. He doesn't say God showed up. He says God was already here. God was in that place the whole time Jacob was lying there feeling alone. Jacob just didn't know it yet. That's what I want you to see, Carpool Crew. God isn't waiting outside the gym to go in with you. He's already in the gym. He got there before the coach did, and he says the same thing to you he said to Jacob, "I'm with you wherever you go." Now, the first 10 minutes might still feel a little awkward. That's real. Nobody's mean. Everyone's just already friends with somebody. They already have a routine and a rhythm. They know what to expect. They're used to it. God being in the room doesn't make that part disappear. It does mean you're not in there by yourself. See, maybe it's a new team. Maybe it's a new class. Maybe it's a new cohort for homeschool that you're trying out. Maybe it's the first day at a brand-new church. It could be anything. God is with you, and he goes before you. He is there when you get there. So this week, if something comes up, here's what I want you to try. Before you open the door, just say, "God is already in there." You can say it in the car. You can say it in your head. You can say it before you even get into the building you're going to. God is already in there. Then go in and find the other kid standing by the wall. Go stand near them and say, "Hey, I'm new. How's it going?" And introduce yourself. Just be nice. Be kind. Use names. See, you'll usually find a friend that way, and you'll both find out that you weren't alone. Now let's go back to the one thing I want you to remember for the ride. God is already there. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if you've been loving the podcast, I'd love to encourage you to let someone know at your church or a Christian school or a Christian homeschool group, or just drop a link on Facebook and let people in your Facebook group, in your community know that you listen to Carpooling with Jesus. We'd love for other families to discover it too. Now, before you go, let's answer this question together. When's a time you walked in somewhere feeling alone and later found out that you weren't alone? You had friends you just hadn't met yet. I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.
