Posted in barbie life
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We are moving closer and closer to the day when Charming will, almost certainly, be out of work. I related in my last (two-part) post that, to my *natural* self, this would be a source of great anxiety to me. But it seems that the Lord has other plans this time. He is ever-so-gently preparing me, day by day, for what is to come. Last night we began our "summer series" in Ladies' Bible Study. Throughout the school year, our church offers a number of classes that have ten to fifteen ladies in each. But in the summer, we all come together in the large hospitality room at the church for a somewhat lighter Theme. This year we're calling it Beach Talk, using the wonderful little book, A Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. If you don't know the book, it was written in 1955 by the wife of aviator Charles Lindbergh. The fiftieth anniversary edition says this: "Lindbergh casts an unsentimental eye on the trappings of modernity that threaten to overwhelm us: the time-saving gadgets that complicate rather than simplify, the multiple commitments that take us from our families..." Sounds like either she was incredibly "ahead of her time," or women have always had the same challenges! I happen to have picked up a 1955 copy of the book in a thrift store for 50 cents. I'm anxious to read it as a woman would have in that day. (by the way, my copy says "first and second printing February 1955." My mother was pregnant with me at the time...) Last night was kind of an Intro night. At each table, we discussed what we look forward to at the beach. I've not spent any time at the ocean, but have spent time on Lakes Michigan and Huron. Not the smell of salt, exactly, that others at my table raved about, but the vastness, the rhythm of the waves, and the Sounds are there. A perfect place for contemplation. Our teacher went on to relate an experience she had last fall at a beach in North Carolina. She was lucky, lucky, lucky enough to have a getaway with a girlfriend just to get some alone-time with the Lord. Nancy is kind of a chicken like me--it was October, so she wanted to do her walking at the place near the breakwater where the water was still warm, and she could see the bottom of the water. That was "safe," she figured. (Safe is such a Big and Necessary Word for me, you know?) She found that, although she could see the bottom of the water (and did, indeed, feel "safe"), the Lord led her down the beach to a place that she couldn't see her feet. It was, however, a more pleasant place to walk, and only a little colder in temperature. There the Lord spoke to her: You want to walk where you know it is absolutely Safe. But there is a place where I am leading you to walk, and you need to trust Me that it is Safe there, as well. That struck me like a bolt of lightning. I need to step out, and trust my Father that He will not take me to a place that He can't make safe. If I do feel like my feet are falling out from under me, that He is right there beside me. Wow. Now, friends, I am in my fifties. The Lord has led me through a Whole Lotta Stuff in my life. He is always, always faithful and worthy of my trust. I have, like all of you, found Him not to be on my timetable, but when it's over, found His timing right. Every time. But, of course, every step we take in our faith brings us to another place of learning. This is why Jesus is called the "finisher" of our faith. This is how we become "conformed to the image of God's Son." This is probably going to mean a big learning curve. It may involve some "growing pains." But how very grateful I am that I have had time to adjust to this new circumstance. How gently My Father has prepared me. And then He'll be right beside me, like my own Daddy was when I learned to ride a two-wheeler, or had to 'fess up to a neighbor that I broke a window. I'm never, ever alone. Jesus promised that He would never leave us or forsake us. What's coming, I don't know. But He does, and it's getting to be Enough for me, just to know that. |
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Posted by Anonymous