Through His Hands

Well as I sit here at the computer and the clock strikes 11, it reminds me of many such nights over my 60 years. Can't sleep because.....there's always a reason. This one is a recurring theme....a thorn in my side so to speak. A reason to keep me completely humble, because try as I might my life is never perfect.I have written about this before, and being the emotional person I am, when it happens again I will probably write about it again. Just when I think I can stand to my full height and walk with shoulders set and my eyes pressing forward, there is a hijacker standing behind the tree with a baseball bat. I don't usually see him as he is hiding, though I know he's there somewhere. He has a great advantage over me. He's a chameleon, changing shape or color to escape my detection. Then, as I walk by said tree, he jumps out with the bat and flattens me again. Cold-cocks me , knocks me out, and usually takes along with my consciousness the will to get up one more time. At this point I have two choices. The first choice is the easiest, the one I usually run to. When I wake and remember what hit me, my first reaction is to choose 'Door #1". Behind this door, is a pit. If I throw myself in that pit I can wallow there as long as I want, cover with self-pity and misery, and just vegetate until I finally tire of the pit and decide to crawl out. Can you picture yourself here? If not, try picturing me there. I don't mind. Me, a gray-hair dyed brown senior citizen (yes I said it), wallowing in the sty with the pigs just because I can. Not very pretty, huh? And yet we do that. We somehow like to wallow. As you know, I am studying the Psalms. I get the impression David was alot like us. The wallowing I mean. What makes me think that? Psalm 62:3 How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down— this leaning wall, this tottering fence? and Psalm 25:17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. and Psalm 42:3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" As a matter of fact, practically every Psalm I have read in my study has at least a portion of it expressing David's difficulty in dealing with the troubles in his life. But usually, David was wise enough to choose 'Door #2'. Door #2 is the one we can choose that keeps us out of the pit. Keeps us upright and functional. It's the door when we choose to run to Daddy when the world is mean. When we fall and scrape our knees. When other kids call us names. And Daddy will take us on His knee and make it all better. Do we come out unscathed? No, not usually. Pain is pain. But that time on Daddy's lap does make it "do-able". It does give us hope because we are reminded it turns out all right in the end. I had an interesting conversation this week. I wonder what you think about this. I believe all things, before they happen to us, pass through God's hands. And although He may not cause these things to happen, He does allow them to in order to achieve a deeper, eternal meaning. Let me explain. Many people have had the privilege of raising a handicapped child. I say privilege because every parent I have heard about who has done this would not have it any other way. What seemed like a tragedy at first became an opportunity to learn about love, commitment, and faith at a different level than would have been possible any other way. Whatever God planned to accomplish by allowing this to happen we do not know. But we can know that He did allow it for a reason. Why do I believe this? Because I believe God is in control. I have to believe God is in complete control, or nothing makes any sense. And, if He is in complete control, then everything passes through His hands. Consequently, I have come to believe the painful things I experience are providing an opportunity to promote growth in Christ. It's VERY TRUE that I don't always recognize this concept in the moment, but I can look back and always see a lesson God was trying to teach me....an chance to become more like Him. I just have to learn to look for the lesson. Somehow, even the most difficult situation seems somewhat easier that way. So, I am going to make every attempt to choose Door #2, even with this thorn in my side thing. I know taking it to Him will help me deal with it, again. I know He will help me learn from it. And because of that, someday I know I will understand it was worth it.

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