Dark Hurdles

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged 

to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” ― Nelson Mandela

My friend is watching her mother grow older, less mobile, and frail. I wish I could comfort her, but the truth is, it’s going to be painful. I can only offer prayer that our Father will immerse her in assurance that her mother’s life comes and inevitably continues with Him, though it may be in a different form. It is the story of the butterfly, of the seed, and of the earth itself. This is the hope of those whose lives have been given back to Him as an offering.

The last time I saw my dad in this world, he asked me if I really believed all those people who go forward at Billy Graham crusades were going to heaven. The answer came from somewhere within, as if it had been waiting to emerge at the right time. “If they really believe it, they are.” 

I hope it gave him hope. Over time, I would come to believe those words more fully. I have come to know the nature of the Father, which is always to honor what we believe: our faith. In fact, without faith it is not possible to please Him, because the one who comes to him must first believe that He is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). 

So, while we may face dark clouds, we who believe must look beyond them to the constant shining of the sun.

My friend and I had a nice talk over our seaside lunch. The dark clouds evaporated into the ocean and in the course of our conversation, she spoke Jesus’ words from Matthew 6:34. “Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.” She is working on believing it. Together we believe that when she gets to the hurdle she’ll be able to go over it. 

We walked out into the sunshine and followed our separate paths. Mine got pretty bumpy, but peace sustained me. At another time, those bumps would have knocked me off balance into the undertow and dragged me out to sea. Her words drifted back on the gentle tide of evening. I searched them out in various translations of light until I found the one that expressed what the Spirit was speaking:  

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (the Message). Yes, He has and He will. Amen.

John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. Good News Translation 

Psalm 1:6
The Lord protects everyone who follows him. Contemporary English Version 

Jeremiah 29:11 
I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. God’s Word Translation 

“Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!” - Thomas Chisolm, Great is Thy Faithfulness

Excerpt from:   While it is Called Today - a 30-day photo devotional for living well  
by Dee Marvin Emeigh

(c) 2014 Dee Marvin Emeigh
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