That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)

I consider myself a girly girl. I would much rather get all dressed up for an evening of culture and fine dining than backpack and sleep on the ground.  I wasn’t the athlete in school but rather the student. I didn’t fight, even with my little brother. But now I have a black eye — a really colorful one, in fact. And it was such a silly accident but I was in unfamiliar territory, slipped and fell, hitting my face on a neighboring piece of furniture on the way down. A goose egg formed before I was back on my feet and I knew it was going to be a shiner. It could have been so much worse and I’m thankful that though very ugly, it is only temporary.

Yet, life can hit us with both wonderful surprises or circumstances we would rather avoid.

Our family celebrated the arrival of the newest member, Eleanor Austen Snyder, last weekend in California. At one month, she has her mommy’s eyes and her daddy’s chin. Holding that sweet baby and looking into her eyes reminds me of  the wonder of our Creator. There is nothing better than spending time with all the grandgirlies.

Our trip home was uneventful until the last couple of hours. We stopped for a late lunch at one of our usual haunts but this time it resulted in stomach distress and possible food poisoning for me. Mark insisted that I check in with my doctor after I closeted myself in the bathroom for two days. An hour later, she sent me out the door with prescriptions, tests, and three problems instead of one. I had two options, go crazy with fear or trust God.

God’s timing is always interesting and the morning devotion for that day from Chuck Swindoll read:

• Nothing touches me that has not passed through the hands of my heavenly Father. Nothing. Whatever occurs, God has sovereignly surveyed and approved. We may not know why, but we do know our pain is no accident to Him who guides our lives.
• Everything I endure is designed to prepare me for serving others more effectively. Everything. Since my Heavenly Father is committed to shaping me into the image of His Son, He knows the ultimate value of this painful experience. It is being used to empty our hands of our own resources, our own sufficiency, and turn us back to Him—the faithful Provider. And God knows what will get through to us.

I’m feeling much better and working my way through all the tests. My preference is for the tests to all come back normal.

Chuck ended his devotion with:

Things may not be logical or fair, but when God is directing the events of our lives, they are right.

Amen.

11/19/10