One Saturday last June my husband did our usual ritual of going to Starbucks which we usually do after we have gone to the gym. It was rodeo weekend in our town that weekend, and cowboyness was everywhere. The cowboys were soon to arrive, and the whole town was revving up to be consummate westerners.
There
were two children sitting at a table and their mom was nearby. They were about
three and four. The oldest one was a girl and she was all decked out. She had a
pink cowgirl hat on and a pink vest with fringe on the chest and at the bottom
of it. Her boots were also pink and she had a denim skirt on to complete her
ensemble. The younger child was a boy. He also was wearing western garb…a bit
less fancy than his sister. She was a professional. The boy had on a straw cowboy
hat. He had on blue jeans and a plaid shirt.
Mom
had bought each of them one of those frosted cake lollypops that Starbucks
carries and cartons of chocolate milk. They shone with a happiness to be
alive. Two other little girls were out in the patio, and though separated by
the window, they were making friends and laughing and playing together. I just
could take my eyes off them. They were adorable.
I
had walked down to wait for my coffee when all of a sudden I heard a shrill
shriek from up in front where the children’s table was. When I looked I saw the
little boy had fallen off his chair and was on the floor. His lollypop was
mashed into crumbs and his carton of milk had spilled all over the floor. As I
listened to his loud crying I realized that it was filled with hurt that was
not only physical. It sounded like a cry of broken heartedness. It was as if
he was lamenting the surprise and disastrous end to his perfect morning.
Something terrible and unexpected had happened, and the little tyke was beyond
sad. He just did not seem to understand how such a thing could have happened.
His mother picked him up and tried to comfort
him. She held him for a long time kissing his wet face and rubbing his head.
Finally he calmed down a bit. Then she put him back on his chair where he sat hiccuping from his crying. Then Mom calmly started to clean up the mess. I watched the
scene with sympathy for the family because this had happened to tarnish their
perfect outing. By then we had finished our coffee and left the store. I never
did see if she bought him a new snack. However, even though you can salvage
a jaunt it may be impossible to restore the original bliss of it.
Sometimes
things like this happen to us adults as well. We may not end up down on the
floor in the middle of a mess. I often think of this kind of happening as a moment in time that you wish you
could go backwards to the minutes before the tragedy happened. In one of the
Superman movies there is a terrible earthquake and Lois Lane’s car is swallowed
into a crack in the earth. In the accident Lois Lane died. Superman was flying
above the earth. He saw what had happened to his friend Lois. He loved
Lois, and he started to cry. Then he flew down to the earth, pushed against it, and made it spin
backwards in the opposite direction until it was at a point in time before the
earthquake. Lois had not died yet. He grabbed her out of her car, and flew up
into the sky. The horrible happening had been avoided by this time reversal.
It
would be really great if this could happen.
In
real life adults cannot go back in time to change tragic things that have happened...things that are comparable to the heartbreaking disaster that happened to the
little boy. Your husband decides to leave. You hear of fires that not only
destroy a forest but also burn down lots of houses. You make an investment that
does not bring the financial results that you expected, and you are basically
ruined. As you look back you see how innocent you had been about the
possibilities of such a disaster happening. It feels as if this incident is life
changing and that we are aware of how great things were before in in the days
of ignorance of such pitfalls.
The
good news we have our divine Superman who comes down to comfort us. He is able
to turn bad experiences to good. He works to help us gain new wisdom and
understanding. Sometimes e sends something into our lives that will help us to
get over our heartbreak. In all of it He is holding us in the palm of His
mighty hand. His love and attention is what we have throughout our lives. We
need to remember this beautiful scripture when we are overwhelmed by
challenges.
“For I know the plans I have
for you,” declares the Lord, “
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
Dear Lord…
Thank you that you will not leave us or forsake us. This means that in good times or bad times
we know that we have a Comforter who never lets go of us no matter what. What a great and amazing God you are. You are our Jehovah Jirah forever.
Amen.
Thank you that you will not leave us or forsake us. This means that in good times or bad times
we know that we have a Comforter who never lets go of us no matter what. What a great and amazing God you are. You are our Jehovah Jirah forever.
Amen.