Hope

Prior to the turn of events that disabled my feet to the point of changing my life, the Lord blessed me with a gift. It was in the form of a little "vacation house"  that we affectionately call the "Villa".  That's an amusing name since it is anything but a villa!  It's a mobile home nestled in the woods in Whiting, NJ next to a small lake.  It's about 40 years old and still has the original harvest gold and avocado green color appliances and fixtures, and brown panelled walls.  It's a real throwback to  my teen years in the early 70's.  All it needed was a few coats of paint and some cozy furniture to make it my little "sanctuary".  Since I was no longer able to comfortably go on family vacations, it provided a way for Tim and I to get away occasionally.  I also used it frequently on my own as a place of rest and restoration.   It is 25 minutes from the ocean which is enormously uplifting to me. It is amazing to me how this little place came to be a means by which God encouraged me and helped me to know Him better.

Very soon after purchasing the Villa was when I became limited in my walking and standing.  However, because of the sandy soil and thick carpet of pine needles, at that time I was able to walk in the woods (heavily armed against ticks with my special "tick suit" that rivaled any hazmat suit) for about 10 minutes. One particular day I was despairing more than usual over my many losses.  It seemed like every avenue I took to adjust to my changing health met with difficulty.   I was thinking about this while walking in those woods when I realized that a tree had fallen across the path.  I thought, "Well, that figures, now there's another thing I can't do".  I turned around and went back to the house.  For a few weeks I ended my walks at this tree.  Then one time it occured to me that maybe I could form a new path around the tree.  When I did, I discovered a tiny wildflower growing there.  I get excited about flowers.  This flower was tiny, but an exquisitely and  intricately formed treasure.  There was so much beauty in such a little thing.  And I was able to continue on my new path. I realized then that I had recently been forming a pattern in my life of giving up when faced with obstacles.

What amazes me is how God met me exactly where I was in my pain.  He taught me that day  that my life was going to have obstacles.  Some of them will be big.  But He has a plan that He made specifically for me.  The paths may be different than they used to be.  But there are going to be many treasures along the way if I'm willing to look for them.  He taught me about hope.  When I  read about hope in the bible, I am very grateful for the hope that Jesus gave us in His sacrifice on the cross.  But now I was learning something else.  I have the hope of seeing God's touch on my life each and every day here on earth.  He met me exactly where I was.  He knew I needed a very basic lesson on the fact that He is available to me on a daily basis.  I changed.  Instead of waking up each day concerned about the degree of discomfort I would experience, I woke up excited about how God would reveal Himself.  I always believed our God was a personal God, but now I was aware enough to experience it.  There are some days when I feel so sick I  don't know how I will get through the day.  But even then there is always a treasure. Perhaps it is a loving act by my family, or a sunny sky, or discovering a new bird in my yard.  Tiny things, but exquisite in their beauty.