After my last blog, my youngest sister freaked out, equating my comments on the light of Jesus with the light at the end of the tunnel. Thankfully, this light for me was not that of approaching the pearly gates to see if St. Peter would let me in. (Do you suppose Pete has one of those sets of keys like the deputies at Falkenburg Road do? Yikes, I've come full circle.)
I am thrilled to report that I am now officially a miracle girl! (Well, maybe not a girl…) Two months ago I was verging on liver and kidney failure. Last Monday I had more labs drawn. Dr. Naidoo showed us the results during my appointment last Wednesday; they are all within normal range, with no signs of kidney or liver damage. How's that for the healing power of Jesus? I'm still holding tightly to my image of Jesus' light inside, healing and restoring all of me. He is the Man!
The Reverend Dr. Peter Storey (not a saint YET) sent me a wonderful quote by Samuel Rayan: " A candle is a protest at midnight. It says to the darkness, 'I beg to differ' ". Light and dark cannot coexist. Without light, life on earth, both physically and spiritually, will vanish.
I have been blessed by two precious seminary students who ministered to me each afternoon during my darkest days. They shared stories and wisdom that only the Spirit can give. At one point, Storia was commenting on headlights. Headlights illuminate the road ahead of us, but only a short distance at a time. Even though we can't see the whole route in the dark, we eventually get to our destination. God protects us in the same way, lighting our way forward, sometimes inches at a time, sometimes miles at a time. Only He has the knowledge of our future and, with the wisdom of a loving parent, reveals only what He knows we can handle. I experienced this while I was sick. There were literally minutes that stretched on with interminable excruciating itching; the only way I could get through them was to pray. I know His light was my refuge. Thinking of the unbearable future was out of the question.
This headlight idea reminded me of a present one of Doug's colleagues brought back for us from her Israel trip; it was a three inch pottery oil lamp that travelers in Jesus' day would balance on the top of their sandals to light their way on the dark path. That is exactly what we were singing about in Sunday school in that little song, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". These images flashed together ,linking up as I had plenty of time to reflect on light. With Jesus always as my light, I have faith I will be able to challenge whatever darkness is out there. I invite you, the next time you find yourself in that dark place, to hang on to the light of Jesus. And join me in proclaiming, "I beg to differ.
Wow. I was just visiting the hospitals today, and upon leaving, said, "Lord, I sure wish that one of these prayers I keep praying would just work like I ask." Wow--that's a quick turnaround! Thanks for sharing Cheri!
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