Soon, But Not Yet
There's More to Your Story
by
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ALONE. DAY THREE Morning! Worst night in a long time. Dreams. Something about third stage renal failure. Then something about zero tread on my tires. Up several times… the bathroom, then too much light seeping in from outside my bedroom door. I had purposely left the stove light on. Bad idea. It does not respond to voice command. Add to that intermittent use of my iPad solving Mahjong challenges. It was one of those nights when you look at the clock and it’s barely an hour since you last looked. Probably should have taken the Advil PM and my antihistamine! Oh well, it’s finally 6:45 and I already have several Mahjong challenges mastered. (These are good for strengthening the brain!) So, with my brain under control I will begin my spiritual strengthening. “Good morning God! Today my precious niece will undergo surgery. I pray along with many others that her surgery will be a complete success. Lord, you know Her faith is beautiful. She is strong because of You. I ask you to watch over her and make her well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” I look forward to my devotional book, New Morning Mercies. I will immerse myself in my Bible Study Fellowship lesson since I can’t find a local class here in Cape Coral. I just want to enjoy being with God today. Should be a good day… It’s almost noon. I realize I didn’t get the garbage out on time. I’ll do better next week. Wow! Time has flown as I spent the morning with my BSF lesson and reviewed many of the passages. There’s so much for me to learn and re-learn. (memory, you know, can fail us!) I wanted to enjoy God today and Isaiah was an immense help! Listen to this! It is Isaiah’s vision in Chapter 6:1-4. “I saw the Lord high and exalted seated on the throne, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above Him were Seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory!‘ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. “Now my imagination is in high gear! Suppose I had this vision? What would it mean? How would I feel? What lasting impressions would I treasure? First, I catch an incredible glimpse of GOD. He is where He should always be in my life. On His throne. And He is not simply seated on it. He is up high! He’s exalted in numerous ways. The enormity of His presence is evident by the train of His robe. It fills the whole temple. Amazing! Now I see the Seraphim. They all have 6 wings, but the wings are in pairs. 2 cover their faces. 2 cover their feet. 2 remain for flying. I pause to wonder how many of these angelic beings are flying around. And why are their wings paired? I wonder if the 6 wings in 3 pairs tells us something about God, the object of their worship. They cover their eyes. Is it because even they cannot look directly at His glorious presence? Is it that their feet dare not approach Him, so they remain airborne, flying all over the place? Three pairs of wings per seraphim, paying homage to their Holy, glorious, triune God! They sing triune songs of praise, three refrains each time. “Holy! Holy! Holy!” They acknowledge Him: Lord! Almighty! They are calling these praises out to each other! It reminds me of when we see something really incredible happen- say a last second play resulting in the game winning touchdown. We’re all jumping up and down, patting each other on the back, saying “Man! Did you see that play? Wasn’t that awesome? I can hardly believe my eyes!” You talk about it for the rest of the day, and even days later with your coworkers, your kids. You are hyped! That is how I see these flitting Seraphim. They are so extremely excited to be in the presence, in the service, of their Lord; their Almighty Three In One! “HOLY! HOLY! HOLY!” The shouts and songs were so tremendous that the temple doorposts and thresholds shook! Now I think to myself (because I’m alone for now) when is the last time I got so excited about what goes on in my private or corporate worship? When is the last time (never!) that I could not stop singing or talking about my Lord, my God, my Almighty, Holy Three in One??? Well, I have never danced in the church aisle, never flitted around from one person to the next to exclaim how wonderful God is to me. I rarely speak of Him to my neighbors or even my own kids and grandkids! I may be a tiny bit expressive, but zip compared to the seraphim who fly around His throne! I may as well be asleep! I’m grateful for a full morning with God. I’m so happy that He truly speaks to me through His Word. I’m so grateful for BSF and for my church and my godly friends who spur me on to become more. Perhaps God is showing me an upside to being alone. I thank Him for doing that so early in my 10-day venture into learning what “alone” feels like. I know there’s more for me in this story than what I see right now. I don’t think I’ll write any more today. I am peaceful. I’ll make supper and eat. I’ll read my book, and I’ll take my Advil PM and antihistamine and sleep picturing a bunch of Seraphim flitting all around. I’ll imagine their exuberant worship of the Holy, Holy, Holy LORD! The Almighty! Have a great night my friends. (And please pray for healing for my niece.)
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About the Book
Life is uncertain with no guarantees. We make choices. Life does not cooperate. We need certainty, firm footing, love, grace, and hope from one certain source. My stories are here to help you see this gift of life differently. There is more to your story than the story you see.
About the Author
I have lived a long, full life. Most of it has been in Chicago or a suburb of the city. For more than eighty years I have moved “from faith to faith.” I was a shy child, but that is another story. I grew up in a Christian family, the second of four children, all girls. I recall receiving Christ as my Savior at the age of seven. The childhood, teen, and young adulthood years continually shaped me toward maturity emotionally and spiritually. I began to enjoy writing in college under the guidance and encouragement of a frighteningly disciplined professor. George and I began dating in college and married afterward and got through an unwelcome imposition on our lives as George served in Vietnam. Afterward we welcomed three wonderful children into our lives as family, friends, events, faith, and life experiences, both planned and unplanned, did their parts to add chapters to our stories. Eventually four grandchildren brought us a new, precious chapter that George was able to relish for a time, and that joy continues to enrich my story. For the most part, life has been particularly good. Oh yes, there have been some really difficult times, but as I look back, I realize that even these have all helped me, shaped me, and increased my faith from one step to the next. Even when faith wavered, God was always faithful. I have learned that the worst situations we face in life are not permitted to harm us, especially in the battlefield of life where communication between the wounded one and the medic is readily accessed. We pray. Some may be prayers of great faith, standing firm on God’s promises. Others may be cries of lament expressing honest disappointment, failure, feelings of abandonment, even terror. There are times when words do not flow… prayers consisting of gasps and silent tears are all we have to offer. Yet all our prayers are received with joy. In fact, I wonder if the prayers that cause tear stains are held most dear by the One who knows your need, your disappointment, and whatever little you have within. Moving from faith to faith, I have learned the importance of honest communication, staying connected to God. Prayer spoken, wept, sent directly from the mind He created—all are treasured. Prayer is our shining key to the entry of God’s throne room. Tragedy and a series of losses did more to grow my faith than to destroy it. Our God does not waste our pain. I truly believe it is our suffering that grows our faith from one step to another, the process known as “sanctification.” After George passed away, my daughter and I purchased a home with related living where we lived with my youngest grandson, Joshua, for several years. As I aged, I had a desire to live near my sons. They both live in Arizona, and we found a home in a small town within a beautiful mountain setting that is an equal distance from both of them. This move is another step of faith for all of us. Although we cannot know the future, we will continue to go with the One who does. That, after all, is the story of our lives. It is my hope that my life, my losses, the lessons I’ve learned and the great hope I hold dear, the imminent return of our savior, Jesus, the Christ, will be a source of joy and encouragement to you. I am honored that you have picked up this book, and I trust that as you read, you will find, as I have, that there truly is more to your story than the story you see.