FAVOR

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--FAVOR

Five minutes to free-write about it

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At first the prompt did not inspire me, and I was going to skip this week, but after ruminating on it for several days, these thoughts came to me. Maybe it's a stretch, but here goes. 

My fall on December 25th left me feeling really paranoid about falling again and wondering what good my daily prayers for safety and protection before leaving my house really do. 

The shock of the experience had me questioning why a loving God would allow an otherwise beautiful day come to such an end, and whether there really are angels watching over me to protect me in all my ways (Psalm 91:11-12). 

Again, I don't know why the Lord allowed this to happen, and I can't honestly say that I'm grateful that He did, but in retrospect, there were many glimpses of His favor and the favor of others I might not have experienced otherwise.

He saw to it that I was not alone when I fell, and protected me from breaking any bones or having my glasses shatter on my face. Aside from a black eye, two chipped teeth, a badly bruised and swollen right hand I wasn't able to use for a while, and a lot of blood, there were no major consequences.

My very level-headed granddaughter who was with me got me cleaned up, made an ice pack for my swollen lip, and helped determine there was no need to go to the Emergency Room. She even offered to spend the night with me, and when I declined her offer, came back the next day to take me to Target to replace my glasses and to the ER nearby to get an X-ray of my hand.

At first Target had no openings to see the ophthalmologist, but within minutes of my call and request to be put on the wait list they had a cancellation, and when we got there we were taken care of right away. 

At the ER, we were much surprised not to have to spend time waiting in a crowded waiting room. Minutes after signing in at triage a nurse came to get us, and ushered us into an actual room with a door and a restroom (not the usual cubicle with a curtain drawn around it). The PA who attended me was kind, thorough, and able to put me at ease, and ordered a CT scan of my face (in addition to the hand X-ray). to make sure there was no fracture of my right orbit. There were none in either one.

All this was followed by an unexpeted outpouring of love and kindness through people who brought me meals, gave me rides, and offered to help me in any way they could--even take out my trash and pick up my mail. 

Maybe it wasn't just about me. Maybe it was an important two-way lesson in give and take. Maybe the Lord used me as His instrument to give others an opportunity to be blessed by helping me out (Matthew 25:40), while at the same time teaching me to be humble and gratefully accept and appreciate their help rather than always try to be self-reliant and in control. 

Even though only God sees the whole picture and there is much I don't understand, it has helped increase my faith that He really is in control, and I can trust Him to be with me and take care of me no matter what lies ahead.

SOMETIMES YOU'VE JUST GOT TO LAUGH

Last night I went to bed pondering two things. One was something I read in one of my devotionals about how God's story is so much better than anything we could write on our own, so we should hand the pen over to Him. 

The other was a message on livestream** that spoke of the difference between expecting and expectancy, that kind of went along with the message in the devotional.

When we expect God to do things a certain way, not only do we put Him in a box, but we leave ourselves open to disappointment when things don't turn out the way we anticipated, and disappointment can lead to a loss of faith and confidence in the Lord, as well as a loss of joy. 

Expectancy, on the other hand, is living in a state of wonderment as to what God has in store for us each day and putting Him in a wide open place to move however He wants to move. 

When I woke up in the morning I was singing, "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." I thanked Him for the gift of this new day and for watching over me and protecting me during the night, and told Him I was excited and full of expectancy because miracles happen in the blink of an eye and I knew something good was going to happen to me today. Those were a few of the affirmations I used to start my days off with back in the day, and that were now coming back to mind.

I had many plans for the day. Complete an article for work I had started the day before, finish a belated Christmas present for one granddaughter and her husband, and get that all done before heading out to a dental appointment later in the afternoon. 

Ha!

 

Normally I start off my morning with a quiet time with the Lord. But not today. Today, my toilet overflowed leaving a bunch of nasty stuff on the floor before flushing as normally as you please. It almost felt as though the devil was thumbing his nose at me and having a good laugh at my expense.

Why today? Why now?

My right hand is still not completely healed and my back aches, so nothing gets done fast, and by the time I mopped up the water, got the towels I had used into the washing machine, and cleaned and sanitized the bathroom floor, the day was half gone and it was obvious I would not be able to do any of what I had planned before it was time to leave for my appointment. 

I sat down in my little prayer corner feeling frazzled that not only would my quiet time be rushed and cut short, but there would barely even be enough left to get dressed and have something to eat before my son-in-law arrived to pick me up.  

That's when I remembered words the Lord had spoken to my heart a few days ago when I was feeling overwhelmed and fearful about an unexpected turn of events, and my mind was full of what ifs. Why was I letting Satan bully me? That's all that was happening then--and all that was happening now. 

God is faithful and in control, and His word is true. Satan is a liar and a defeated foe (Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14, John 10:10). Why am I listening to and believing the lies he plants in my head? 

I thought of Peter, who got out of the boat and was able to walk on the water as long as he kept his gaze on the Lord, but then started to sink as soon as he got distracted by the wind and the waves and started focusing on them instead (Matthew 14:27-31).

Even though the day was obviously not about to turn out the way I had planned, that didn't mean the Lord didn't have something good in store. It would just be different, and maybe even better than what I originally had in mind. And so holding on to that thought, I went back to singing my song and expecting something good to happen today.

There were quite a few more challenges before the day ended, which was how I came up with the title of this post. Sometimes when there's a string of them like that, it can seem so ludicrous you can't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. But there were good things as well, such as a kind, considerate, and helpful son-in-law who I got to spend some quality time with and who was a real trooper even when we had to wait over an hour for me to be seen.

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**Wonderful message by Pastor Alec Rowlands, senior pastor of Westgate Chapel in Edmonds, WA. He was guest speaker at Brooklyn Tabernacle on Sunday. Message starts at about 54.29 into the service. The topic was Wide Open Spacious Life.

EFFORT

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--EFFORT

Five minutes to free-write about it

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My fall on December 25th was just the beginning of a storm I never saw coming. It was frustrating but could have been much worse, and there was a whole lot to be thankful for in the midst of it.

People were super kind and helpful, I seemed to be making good progress, and there were many uplifting messages in my daily devotionals that the Lord used to encourage and reassure me. Don't be anxious about tomorrow, they seemed to say. Trust in Me. Live one day at a time. 

It doesn't take too much effort to do that when you see the light at the end of the tunnel. When your faith gets tested, it takes a lot more.

My test came in the form of unexpected dental issues resulting from the fall that surfaced and threw me into a tailspin. Instead of making an effort to keep my eyes on the Lord rather than focus on my fear of what might lie ahead, I had a total meltdown as my mind became flooded by a myriad of "what ifs." I felt as though I was coming apart and as though no matter the effort I put in, nothing would ever be better again. I felt defeated.

A timely call and the wise words and prayers of a friend when she heard my plight got me back on track again. She reminded me that no matter how things look in the natural, God is the God of the impossible, and that even though things were looking grim from my perspective, I can't see the whole picture. Only God can, and I can be rest assured that He is in control.

Additional comfort came through the pages of my favorite devotional, Streams In The Desert,** that speak of Jesus being our shepherd, who walks before us to lead the way. It would not be in our best interest to always remain in one happy and comfortable location (I wish this wasn't the case), but no matter what lies ahead, He encounters it first, and would not ask us to endure it unless He was sure it would not be too strenuous or difficult for us to do.

And just like that, the turmoil gave way to His peace that surpasses understanding, and I found myself wondering what on earth I had felt so worked up about in the first place.

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**(Excerpts from the January 14 and 18 devotionals in Streams In The Desert that spoke to my heart.)

This is the blessed life--not anxious to see far down the road nor overly concerned about the next step, nor eager to choose the path nor weighted down with the heavy responsibilities of the future, but quietly following the Shepherd, one step at a time.

Dark is the sky! and veiled the unknown morrow! . . . Heart seems to dread what life may hold in store; But I am His--He knows the way I'm taking . . . He goes before . . . On this my heart would dwell! . . . He goes before! And therefore all is well.

The enemy may seem to triumph for a season, but we can trust God will give us a much greater victory than we would have known had He not allowed the enemy seemingly to triumph in the first place.

If there is a great trial in your life today, do not acknowledge it as a defeat. Instead, continue by faith to claim the victory through Him who is able to make you more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).

In all the difficult places God takes us, He is giving us opportunities to exercise our faith.

SUNDAY SURPRISE

An unexpected glimpse of tonight's moon through my window.

He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows when to set.

How many are your works, O LORD! -- Psalm 104:19, 24a, BSB

SATISFIED

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--SATISFIED

Five minutes to free-write about it

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I was looking forward to participating in this first FMF challenge of the New Year, but the word prompt SATISFIED isn't quite the right word to describe the feelings I wanted to write about. It would take a much stronger word than that.

It started with a bad fall on Christmas Day that left me shocked, bewildered, and frustrated. 

My granddaughter had given me a ride so I wouldn't have to drive home in the dark, and as I got out of her car and went to step up on the curb, I misstepped and landed on my face on the concrete sidewalk instead. 

Why God allowed this to happen, I do not know. What I do know, is that through it all He has revealed Himself to me in tangible, personal ways that I may never have experienced otherwise. 

It was a horrible experience, yes, but He made sure I was not alone when it happened, and also protected me from what could have been much worse. All I sustained were a black eye, fat lip, two chipped teeth, multiple abrasions, and a very bruised and swollen right hand. Nothing was broken, my glasses did not shatter on my face, and no teeth had been knocked out of my mouth, which is what I at first thought had happened when my face hit the ground and I saw all the blood. 

Because of my right hand being out of commission, I was not able to do the things I normally take for granted, like drive, or open a jar, or work, which has been a humbling experience. Day by day, however, He has provided for all of my needs. People have been incredibly kind and not only willing to help me out, but even really wanting to do so. Some have brought meals, others have provided rides, one kind soul even shoveled my car out after it snowed and drove it around for a bit to warm the engine up. 

I was thinking about that today as I read these words in my Daily Wisdom for Women devotional: God knows just what we need. And if we give control over to Him, He'll set everything right in His perfect timing.

When I saw this week's prompt and wondered how I could tie it in to these thoughts, the image that came to mind was of God smiling down at me and saying, "Are you satisfied with how I am providing for your needs? Can you trust me now?

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

THOUGHTS AS I VENTURE INTO A NEW YEAR

 And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,

"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."

And he replied: 

"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."

(From God Knows by Minnie Louise Haskins)

 

Although there was much to be grateful for, 2024 (from my perspective) did not end on a very good note. It was actually quite bewildering.

 

As I tried to make sense of it all, Lisa Anne Tindal's blog post, The Driver, spoke to my heart. Her words were so timely. Over and over they played in my mind as I stood at the gate leading to 2025, preparing to board a train headed for an unknown destination, and pondering what might lay ahead: "God is driving the train. Only He knows where it will go. We are just riding."

Unlike other years, there were no expectations, no resolutions, no plans to try and turn things around and happen the way I wanted them to. Just an openness to whatever God has in store. Thy will, not mine be done. 

I may not know where this ride will take me or what this journey into the new year will bring, but I choose to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. I choose to put all my hope and trust in Him to guide and uphold me along the way, knowing that He is in control and sees the whole picture, which I do not.