The year was 2001 and to say I was in a dark valley…is an understatement. The prior November, I had a back surgery to “clean up” a herniated disc the day before Thanksgiving. That evening, as I returned home, the disc re-herniated. Less than a month later…just four days before Christmas…I returned to the operating room to once again, have the disc “cleaned up”. That surgery was deemed a success and life returned to a little more normalcy.
But the following spring, as I was getting ready to walk out on the platform to lead our church service on a Sunday morning, I bent down to pick up some paper and the disc re-herniated once again. After this third time, I told my surgeon that he was either going to put a zipper in my back…or he was going to fuse the disc because I couldn’t live this way any longer.
Discouragement filled my soul and at times I wondered if God was even around. Did He know what I was going through? Did He understand the pain I was in? Had he deserted me and left me to get through this valley on my own? Of course, during my lucid moments…I knew the answers to those questions…but pain, medicine and exhaustion had really taken a toll on my body and mind…and it was easy to become disheartened.
Then, something happened that just blew me away. It wasn’t a miraculous healing…but it was an event that God used to let me know that He hadn’t forgotten about me and that He was just a breath away. And what really astonished me was that He used someone to be “Jesus with skin on” to me who lived miles away.
The simplest of tasks were difficult for me during that time, because every movement caused me pain. So, one day as I was putting on my robe (which was full length and heavy) I remember wishing I had thought ahead to purchase a short, light-weight robe for my time of recovery. Honestly, it was more of a fleeting thought…not one that I dwelled on…but just an idea that came across my mind.
The next day, my husband brought in a package that had just arrived. I wasn’t expecting anything, so I was curious as to what it was. Inside, I found the most beautiful, short, light-weight robe I had ever seen, along with a note from our cousin, Cheryl, who lives in Ohio (I live in Indiana). In the note, she said she knew this was a hard time for me and she wanted to make this robe so that I could make-believe I was on a tropical island relaxing on the beach during my time of recovery. I remember just sitting there with my mouth wide open and tears in my eyes. Cheryl had made this robe for me…before I even realized I needed it…and God made sure it arrived at just the right time!
Don’t we serve an awesome God? Something as minor as a robe is important to God…because I am important to Him. He cares about every detail of my life and He promises to give me just what I need…exactly when I need it. Oh, what He gives me isn’t always what I think I need…or when Ithink I need it…but His timing and His plan is always perfect!
Over these past 19 years, this robe has gotten me through many more surgeries (and every summer!) and I still think of Cheryl each time I put it on. I am so thankful that she was listening when God planted the idea in her mind to make this for me to make my recovery a little easier and remind me that He, and others, cared.
Are you going through a valley? Do you find yourself asking the same questions that I was asking during my dark days? I want to encourage you to let Him know your hurts and struggles and allow Him to work out the details of His plan for your life. I have a feeling that if you are watching, He will bless you in ways that you can’t even imagine, as He shows His love and concern for you.
Maybe you aren’t going through a valley at this time, but God is urging you to do something to help someone in need. He may want you to be a blessing, just like Cheryl was to me. I want to urge you to answer His call and take the time to make a difference. Who knows…what you do for them just might continue to bless them for many years to come!
“Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.”
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