Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? [Romans 8:38 (NLT)]
As I stepped off the plane into biting wind and blowing snow, the shock of the bitter cold took my breath away. Having started the day at a balmy 70 plus degrees, I wanted to turn around, get on the plane and go back to where I’d been. The plane, however, wasn’t returning that night so neither was I. As I trudged across the tarmac, I questioned my sanity in leaving the warmth of southwest Florida for a stay in our Colorado home.
That first night in the mountains, I just wanted to go back. Once I traded my t-shirt for layers of fleece, my shoes for insulated boots, and my light jacket for a heavy parka, however, things improved. Once I saw the beauty in the aspens’ glistening hoarfrost, strapped on my snowshoes and enjoyed the snow instead of cursing it, and once I’d taken my first ski run down the mountain and embraced the wintery world in which we’ll live for the next two months, my attitude changed. Once I’d accepted and adjusted to where I was, I found joy in my surroundings.
We made the deliberate choice to spend part of our winter in the cold and snow but, sometimes, life drops us off in cold dark places not of our choosing. We end up at the funeral home, principal’s office, police station, or in the ICU. We find ourselves in cardiac rehab, divorce court, an Al Anon meeting, or across from an unsympathetic loan officer or angry boss. Bills pile up, loved ones get sick, tornadoes hit, accidents happen, children get in trouble, and dreams disappear. When those times occur, we want to turn around and go back to the way it was before—before sickness, bankruptcy, death, betrayal, or unemployment. God, however, does not offer return tickets to the land of before.
Several years ago, it felt like God left me in a cold dark place and I longed for the time before—before any of the bad happened, a time when everyone seemed happy and life was good. There was no going back, however, and it was fruitless to yearn for what had been but was no more. By trusting in God and His purpose, I surrendered my circumstances to him. Along with my tears were prayers and, with His guidance, I eventually adjusted my behavior, changed my expectations, stopped yearning for the before and looked with hope to the after. As for the after—while different, it’s possibly even better than the before! Granted, it didn’t happen overnight and it took more than wearing wool socks and long johns to get to a place of acceptance. It happened when I stopped asking God “Why” and started asking Him “What do you want me to learn from this?” It happened when I managed to find reasons for gratitude in even the darkest place. Eventually, out of the pain came not just acceptance but joy.
At some time or another, we all end up in cold dark places and enter a winter time for our souls. We need to find a way, not just to survive them, but to thrive in them. To do that, we must trust in the Apostle Paul’s words that while not everything that happens is good, God will bring good out of whatever happens. As difficult as that sounds, God will open our eyes to the good in the bad and we’ll find a way to have joy in all circumstances.
Thank you, God, for taking the broken pieces of our lives and putting them back together so they are stronger. Thank you for taking the cold winters of our souls and shining your love and light upon them, warming our hearts and enabling us to once again face life with joy.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [Romans 8:28 (NLT)]
Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. [Philippians 3:1a (NLT)]
As I picked up another starfish and tossed it back into the water, I thought of Loren Eiseley’s essay about saving starfish and making a difference in people’s lives, one life at a time. Remembering Eiseley’s essay got me thinking about an announcement made last week at Bible study. While a local family was driving home from church last Easter, a driver sped through a red light, t-boned their car, and changed their lives forever. Their two small children were seriously injured and one, a three-year old girl, was airlifted to another town. On life support for about a month, her injuries left her a quadriplegic. Now four, this sweet little girl has more surgeries and months (if not years), of medical, physical and occupational therapies ahead of her. Meanwhile, her family struggles with mounting medical expenses. Although the family does not attend our church, their need came to the attention of our pastor. Being restricted to a wheelchair has kept this little girl and her family from their favorite Florida activity—going to the beach. Since the wheels of a normal wheelchair would sink in the sand, family beach time has been just a memory until now. Yesterday, along with a sizeable check to help with their expenses, our church presented them with a sturdy all-terrain beach wheelchair. This vehicle enables her not just to go to the beach but also to go into the ocean and play in the water once again.
With their huge medical bills and needs, the $2,200 spent on a wheelchair may seem a little frivolous—but not to a four-year-old girl who had given up all hope of ever going to the beach or feeling the waves again! There are some people who will analyze how many mission trips, meals, blankets, immunizations, medicines, bricks, or Bibles could have been purchased with that same amount of money. They may disagree with how the church spent our tithes and offerings. Without a doubt, there is a tremendous need in our world for just the bare necessities of clean water, food, shelter, and health care. Sometimes, however, a need is right in front of us—a need to make life a little easier for a neighbor, a need to bring some joy back to a family or to put a smile back on a child’s face. Sometimes what seems extravagant to someone is a necessity to another—a great wig or a day at the spa for a woman with breast cancer, a davit that allows a paraplegic man to get into his boat again, skiing on a sit-ski for a wounded warrior who’s lost his legs, a week of summer camp for a teen with diabetes, a weekend at Disney for a child with leukemia, a trip to the Super Bowl for a boy with cystic fibrosis, or even a teddy bear for a tot recovering from heart surgery.
