The Way

-

 


I know He has a message for me. I know there is a reason for the uncertainty in my future, the pain I feel each and every day, the purpose and plan created in the heaven's and left for my discernment. I long to know his word, be drenched in his grace, my heart blanketed in His love. With every chord I carry in my prayer, please God, answer me. 

I feel a bit like my granddaughter in the picture above, drifting towards unknown waters. Brave, but frightened. Convicted, but reserved. In the end, quenched by the refreshing waters of His steadfast glory. 


We began to settle in. The morning sun streaming through the window like a halo from heaven. The aroma of coffee circled its way through the building like a Siamese cat looking for a place to rest. It was the first day of our summer bible study, aptly named Open Your Bible. The irony of this for me is that I have lost my last two bibles. Always from my car. I like to believe someone who needed them took them. Then I don't feel so foolish for losing two bibles. 

The day before the study I realized I didn't have my bible and went on a mad scramble to locate one. I knew we had two very old bibles that belonged to our grandparents, and really too delicate to bring to a study, where I intended on devouring the word. So, I took off for one of my friend's favorite places to go looking, Goodwill. Not a bible in sight! None! Now what? Then I remembered I had a bible called The Way that had been my parents. I honestly had not opened it in a very long time, it was more for sentimental reasons I had it. But that day, I rushed home went through the bookcase in search for The Way. I located it and placed it on my text for the summer study. But then something called me to open it. Throwing back the flap of the book, I found an inscription " To Jack Brennan from Doug, Teri and Sarah - 1983". We had given my dad the bible. I rubbed my hand across the pages, as if I could reach out and give him a hug at that moment. And I wish I could have.

The next day I brought my 40-year-old bible with me to my first day of summer study. Immediately one of the women said - I remember that bible! Another said, I had one of those bibles. Pretty soon several people had acknowledged my fill in bible as being familiar. I knew at that moment my dad was there with me. I felt his presence through the word we shared. My heart was full. 

I don't believe in coincidences; life is road map perfectly orchestrated by God. God knew I needed to feel my dad close to me, giving me the calm that flowed peacefully to my soul. 

I will continue to use my dad's bible all summer and not consider looking for a new one. Pick up one of your loved one's belongings, hold it close, and feel the peace permeate you like a soft refreshing breeze in the stillness of summer. He is alive, and He loves you so very much. He showed me The Way......

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coach

-
Image
 I think for the first 20 years of my marriage, I had a great deal of resentment towards my father-in-law.  He was by all measures a wonderful man, but I felt in many ways, his grandchildren took a backseat to his happiness. And yet, the irony of it all, I also believe that other than my husband, he understood me the best.  I will explain. After his retirement, he devoted most of his days and nights to the local high school and its sports program. It would seem logical since before that he had lived his life through his children's sports. An incredibly attentive parent in that regard, he coached them, encouraged them, and dreamed with them from T-ball through the entirety of high school. His breath was measured by the smell of a fresh cut baseball field. His heart beat to the pounding of shoes racing up and down a basketball court. And his eyes came alive with the lights of a Friday night football game. It was far more than his passion; it was his life.  So why would I resent this?
Read more

Where Did Christmas Go ?

-
Image
 I always become a bit melancholy in the days directly after Christmas. Some might say that isn't unusual most feel an anticlimactic let down. But mine goes much deeper. Of course, I am sad that after months of preparation the day seems to come and go, like a quick summer storm that disappears back into the clouds from which it came. My heart almost aches as I walk through the stores with sale signs cascading the picked over shelves. It's as if December 25th is a distant memory the day after it dawns. Even now driving down the street (December 28th), I have seen any number of Christmas trees cast off to the curb. Why do people insist on erasing any trace of this beautiful day? Theologically the Maji are still tracking their journey to meet the newborn king.  Yes, I can still hear the squeal of my youngest granddaughter when she opened the Barbie she wanted. The sparkle in her eyes will light my dreams for months. Or my youngest grandson's smile when he saw the collection of
Read more

Sweet Mary

-
Image
  Sweet Mary I passed the Hospice where I said goodbye to you. It stands stoic and silent against an unlikely back drop. I can still see your face, your beautiful face that very last day. It had a light around it, cloaked in a celestial opus. You looked more beautiful than I had ever seen you. Do you think God gave me that final glimpse so I could see heaven? You were so peaceful, and I knew in my heart that God had already called your name. I stood by your bed in that mere magnificence and cried. I cried for joy that you would finally be at rest. You would bathe in that light. You would see your sister, your mom and Dad and maybe even my parents. You would live where the sky meets the earth and command the sunrise and sunset. And, I cried for myself, how much I miss you. I loved that I was able to spend all of that time with you - driving you, sitting with you and talking to you. You filled a part of my heart I never knew was empty. Such a gift you were. Not just a cousin but a confid
Read more