Looking Back

Our son Ray at three years old

It’s been a rainy spring, but now that tulips and daffodils brighten the landscape, I count the rain a blessing. My former neighbor doesn’t think as fondly of water as she used to. In February, her apartment flooded because of a sudden winter thaw that burst the sprinkler above her. All her furniture was ruined. She recently started over, moving across the state line into a different senior apartment building, and she’s thrilled with her new digs and furniture. Last night she gave me a tour, and I celebrated with her how the Lord has provided. 

From one Bible verse to another I am reminded that God sends rain on the earth, and the result may be bad as well as good. The same plague of hail that battered Egypt helped Moses deliver the Israelites to the Promised Land—a fantastic outcome for God’s people but disaster for Pharaoh and Egypt.

In 1986, doctors discovered that our baby-to-be had hydrocephalus, a condition that could cause mental disabilities. He would face surgery immediately after birth. Talk about a rainstorm! What a scary time—we didn’t know what the future held for Ray. When they predicted he would not walk or talk, I cried and prayed. Step by uncertain step, I learned to trust the Lord through c-section delivery and each new phase of his care and growth.

Fast forward three years, and as the photo above shows, Ray could ride his rocking horse and soon would walk and run. By that age, he could argue with his big sister like any little brother. Sometimes we wished he would just be quiet—he got so talkative. He still is today.

I’m proud to say that in 2013, Ray graduated from Shepherds College www.shepherdscollege.edu. He has special needs and lives in a supported apartment. In May he starts his ninth year with a local nursery, working part-time through spring, summer, and fall.  

Looking back, my concern for Ray’s future differed greatly from reality. God sent the flood of fear and from it brought a harvest of joy beyond anything we could imagine.

 

Brighter Days

Photo by Aaron Burden on Pexels.com

Spring is taking its time here in the Midwest. Two days of 60’s temps were followed by four weeks of cool, cloudy, rainy weather. But spring is coming—it always does eventually. There’s hope in that thought, and I can’t remember a year when we didn’t finally see brighter days. As the wind howls southward, I feel like we’re hopelessly stuck in always-winter.

Can you recall a time when you felt hopeless? Join the club. Life brings ups and downs, sometimes more of the latter. God challenges us to respond to affliction in an unexpected way—by rejoicing. Romans chapter 5, verses 3-4 says “. . .we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” There’s a key to grace-filled responses as referenced earlier in the chapter, and that is faith in Jesus Christ. By His grace, we grow through hard times. Such progress is patterned as follows: suffering teaches perseverance. Perseverance produces character. From godly character, hope springs forth.

It sounds simple, but this trip from pain to hope could take days, months, or even years. It depends on our response. Let’s pray: Lord, please teach us to persevere in difficulty, knowing that we will glorify You through a joyful journey home.

Laundry Day

In our apartment building, the laundry facilities are shared. It was laundry day, and all our clothes were dry and ready to be folded. Matching up the socks, one turned up missing – my favorite! Where could it be? Under the bed? No. I felt my heart begin to race a little. My sock was lost. I rushed back down the hallway to the laundry room, looked in the dryer, and there it was. What a relief!

On the way back to my place, I passed my neighbor, Delores. We’re still getting acquainted. I smiled and said hello. She returned my greeting and headed to the elevator.

Here was my new friend, and I barely thought about how she was doing, pleased as I was in finding my sock. I had already wondered if she knew Jesus as Savior. Yet I casually greeted her, and we went our separate ways. Didn’t I care enough to reach out, to try and show love? I was busy. There was laundry to fold.

In Jonah 4:8-11, the prophet Jonah felt indignation when the shade God had provided disappeared, leaving him in the scorching sun. Yet he didn’t show compassion on thousands of people. God might have destroyed them had they not repented of their sin. Jonah missed the point of his trip to Ninevah and the joy of being in step with God.

Something is wrong when we care more about a lost object than a lost person. By my actions, I showed that my priority was me, not my neighbor.

So, what’s it going to be, love for people, or love for our own comfort? Will we be on God’s mission or ours? Let’s pray that we will have open hearts to hear God’s leading in our daily interactions with others.