 |
| This morning's reading fare and a posy from a friend. |
My folly never ceases to surprise me. As I desperately wrestled with the feelings – guilt, shame, frustration – and pinpointed the moments that had led to this momentary fall from grace, Husband came to the rescue. "I am a crappy little Christian this morning," I disclosed. "I feel bad, too," he said. He'd been away for the weekend, living his Man From Snowy River dreams, and had returned the previous night with a horse... yes, we now have a horse. Its name is Dan. His name is Jim. If you're familiar with The Man From Snowy River, you will laugh.
As it turns out, he felt guilty that he'd got to live his dream while I was left at home. "But I had a wonderful weekend," I said. "It's my own fault for feeling down. And I don't think God would want to rob you of good things." As he helped me clean the front room of our house and I set about preparing lunch for some guests (I wonder if Gwyneth cooks to appease her ill feelings?), the domestic productivity was complemented by a confessional session and our mutual moods were lifted. And then we put some music on (a mix of his country-hick tunes and my Michael Buble... daggy in equal measure!). And our words turned from confession to praise.
In church on Sunday, our preacher shared part of 2 Chronicles with us. In this book, King Jehosophat is faced with the prospect of an impending battle with three armies. Frightened, he prayed to the Lord for guidance. Instead of putting on a brave face, in front of his people he said, "We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help." Hearing this, a man named Jahaziel said, "Your Majesty and all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord says that you must not be discouraged or be afraid to face this large army. The battle depends on God, not on you." Then King Jehosophat ordered some musicians to march ahead of the army, singing, 'Praise the Lord! His love is eternal!'. When they began to sing, the Lord threw the invading armies into a panic." And the battle was won without the King's army lifting a finger.
In this story, we see how turning to God in weakness, then in praise for his protection, can turn a dire situation into something hopeful. I wound up having a wonderful afternoon with our friends; a truly blessed time of sharing and good food (my insecurity at being a crappy cook – a poor man's Gwyneth – were thankfully assailed). It's inevitable that we will have moments of helplessness and despair, but this is when God can really get to work in us and our lives and prove his faithfulness.
Girl With a Satchel
2 comments:
Great post Erica. I have been in a writing fug of late. However, I did a Novena and praid for help. The day after I finished, I got two commissions. A month or so later, I pleaded/prayed for help with my novel, which had been a total and utter block for me since Feb last year. And alas,the Lord, in His good way, has helped me, and I am six or so chapters away from the finished product. Have not felt happier in a long time, and I hope I remember to acknowledge His help for getting me out of my rut. I never forget to say thank you to people, but it's easy to forget the blessings of Heaven
Thanks for this lovely post, Erica. I'll be sitting for my first exam of the semester in four hours' time -- eep! Although I've already studied as much as I can, there are still pre-exam jitters, of course. But truly, I needn't worry because God is going before me, behind me, and beside me. The battle has already been won! (:
You are beautiful, Erica! Have a blessed day.
Julia x
Post a Comment