Everybody Has a Story


I’ve always said, “Everybody has a story.” Some are known and very visible while others are silent and unknown.
First timers at church can often be spotted by the questioning look on their faces, but this couple was different. They had been in the Valley for only about a week, and were not the usual summertime vacationers in for a respite from the heat or retired second home owners. They were looking for answers to the question, Is this where God really wants us?

The wife was a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient and they had discovered the cancer center in our community. The questions swirling about them stemmed from whether or not they had jumped too quickly to the conclusion to move or was it truly from God. If we are honest, this is something most of us do when we are trying to figure out if we are following the path that God has for us.

After my conversation with the couple who had been prayed over by a fellow parishioner, talked with the pastor and visited with another cancer survivor the church service began. How would God minister to them? No, no, no the question is really how would God minister to me through them?
As the worship service began, they were bold in claiming the goodness and faithfulness of God and giving Him all praise and glory. You could tell that they were clinging to Him in their trial, by lifting their hands in worship and almost dancing. Tears flooded my eyes.

Would I be as trusting if I had just received the same diagnosis? Would I be able to display joy in the situation that they would be facing?
If I hadn’t just heard their saga, I could have made an assumption from their worship that everything in their life must be great—their finances in order, their bodies healthy, their lives perfect, but I would have been wrong. Everybody has some type of story; it’s how we choose to respond to God in it and through it that makes the difference.

Psalm 100:1-2 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bavarian Cream Pie

Image
2 eggs 1/8 t salt 3/4 c scalded milk 1 c whipping cream 1 T gelatin 1/4 c cold water 1/2 c sugar 1 t vanilla Chocolate crumb crust Beat sugar and egg yolks. Then add milk and scald until it sticks to the spoon, stirring constantly. Let gelatin and cold water soak until dissolved, then add to milk and let cool. Whip cream and egg whites separately and then mix together. Mix cream and egg mixture to the milk that has been cooled. Add vanilla to mixture. When this begins to congeal, pour into chocolate crumb crust. Put into refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle crushed crumbs over the top before serving. www.hearthope.org
Read more

Mount of the Holy Cross

Image
For years people have enjoyed the awe of Mount of the Holy Cross which is a 14,000 foot mountain in the Sawatch Range of Colorado. It is named for the distinctive snow-filled cross at the top of the mountain and was proclaimed a national monument by Herbert Hoover in 1929. Painters have painted it; photographers have photographed it and hikers have hiked it, because of its special beauty. When my children were young and visiting the area, we would take the gondola up the mountain to the observation deck at Eagle’s Nest for the perfect view of the majestic Mount of the Holy Cross.  So when my grandchildren were visiting this summer, it seemed natural to take them to the same spot for old times’ sake.  The mountain had not changed and the view was still inspiring, but something was terribly wrong. The name on the sign at Eagle’s Nest had been changed. It was no longer labeled Mount of the Holy Cross, but instead has been replaced with the designation Cross of Snow. Why would that be do
Read more

My Latest Award!

Image
This is my niece Allison Bullock who wins triathlons! I won an award today, but before you go getting all excited for me or want to see how you can win one too, you might want to read more. This honor might not be one you want to receive, because you see it is not an accolade that I really want either.  I went for my annual mammogram this morning and while there the doctor found some suspicious areas and wanted to have an ultrasound performed. While laying on the sterile bed, with my pretty pink robe opened and covered with goo used for the transducer, the hand-held device that sends out the waves which produce the picture, the technician declared that I had won the prize for the most cysts she had ever seen in a patient. How do you like that one! I guess the good part is that cysts are not usually dangerous, but still…. I have received other awards in my life that are much more prestigious than the one today, but there is a future award that I hope to obtain that will be more
Read more