We who believe in God have
an amazing Father. Throughout my life He has demonstrated His love, His
faithfulness, His care and His forgiveness not only by extraordinary events but
in my daily routine as well. As I grow
spiritually, I am discovering that God often touches our lives through unusual
measures. In fact, recently He used distraction to get my attention.
For several weeks I had been dreading the arrival of
two minor medical procedures I needed to have done: a gastroscopy and a
colonoscopy. Actually, it was the prep day regiment that was causing me more
anguish than the scopes. I had had a colonoscopy ten years ago and had an
unpleasant experience with the prep day procedure so I had reasons to be concerned.
However, this time my concern had turned to fear. Full of anxiousness, I recruited several prayer
warriors from my family as well as from my spiritual sisters. Even with their support I felt edgy. I was constantly talking with Jesus about my
apprehension, and He kept reminding me to TRUST Him. He provided words of encouragement and
assurance through devotions, text and face book messages from my prayer
warriors, a special card from my Bible translator friend, and a kiss and a hug
from one of the sweetest, older ladies I know whom I hadn’t seen in months. All
of these encounters were Jesus’ way of showing His faithfulness. But the most
significant reassurance came on the day before my procedures.
On Sunday as my husband and I were driving to where I
was to have these medical tests done, we received word that my Aunt Margaret
had died early that morning. Aunt Margaret was my mom’s sister and my
godmother. From my birth Aunt Margaret had been a part of my life. Having married my dad’s brother, Aunt
Margaret was like my second Mom. Our
families, despite the distance separating us, remained close. Holidays, special
family gatherings, shared vacations, and sleep-overs kept us together through the
years. Our families were like one big unit, always there for each other.
After hearing about her passing, tears filled my eyes
as I drove. Memories flooded my mind as I visualized her bright, infectious
smile. She and I had spent many special moments together…too many to write in
this post. However, with all the memories surfacing, one telephone conversation
we had had toward the end of last year struck dear to my heart at this time.
When my mom passed away in 2004, Aunt Margaret took
her place for the person to talk to for encouragement and advice. I was going
through a down time so I called her. Hearing her voice immediately perked me
up. We discussed many topics, joked and laughed, and as our conversation came
to an end, we decided we could not live in this life without Jesus and wondered
what people did who didn’t have Him. Her
comments about Jesus and His importance in our lives renewed my hope and
attitude that day.
Aunt Margaret’s love for Jesus shined through her
servant’s heart. She was a giving, thoughtful person, ready to share not only
material goods but her faith in God as well.
I admired her strength of character, her enthusiasm for life, her skill
at playing cards J,
and her glowing personality. She was my
aunt, my godmother, my spiritual mentor, and my friend.
As I reminisced those special memories, I felt
a peace pass through me. With tears subsiding, I noticed soft, white whispy
clouds appearing in the blue sky. Suddenly, I became aware that I had
completely forgotten my impending prep day. It was like God had provided a distraction.
No longer was my focus on me but on my cousins who had just lost their mother.
And by that distraction, I was reminded of my Aunt Margaret’s wise words about
needing Jesus in our lives no matter what.
Fortunately, I did have Jesus, but in my fear of
facing the medical procedures, I had forgotten that, even with all the support
I had received. I had failed to completely trust Jesus to take care of me…to
place the worry in His Hands. So in the quiet of my soul, I asked Jesus to
forgive me and thanked Him for my Aunt Margaret whose wisdom encouraged me even
through death. As for my preparation and scopes, all went well. Thanks be to
God!
A special verse reflecting
the life of my Aunt Margaret:
“Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven.” Mat. 5: 16
A special verse for
worriers:
“Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Phil. 2:
6 -7
