“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalm 32:8
I have been regularly visiting a special lady under hospice care for about a year now. Which prompts me to question my own understanding of Hospice! I always love and enjoy our visits. The problem ‘I’ have is that ‘The Lady’ lives on an island! Though the island is LONG… it is an island still. Nd to get there, I must cross over a bridge! The bridge and I have issues!
This bridge is a rare, antique, turn-style bridge built in 1926. Tourists love to watch the gates drop and the bridge tender spin it 90 degrees on it’s axis, allowing boats to go by. Residents do not. It seems that every time I want to go visit my friend, ‘The Bridge’ gate is closed, forcing me to wait for it to reopen… AGAIN!
I went there yesterday, and as usual, the gate was closed. Being about the 20th vehicle back, It had been closed for a while. I watched as a large yacht passed through heading south, and then yawned as we all waited for a smaller, northbound vessel to clear. With that much time on my hands, and with my ADHD in full bloom, I began to think and question.
“WHY do I ALWAYS hit this bridge when it is down? Does satan see me approaching from home and manipulate traffic to stick it to me? Does GOD have anything to do with it, maybe giving me time to prepare and think about Him? Is He trying to teach me patience? If so, it never seems to work.” But in reality, I am just glad people cannot see the thoughts of a crazy man in the stuck truck at the closed bridge!
In the theological world, the question of cause and effect is a long and debatable one. Some contend that God causes everything, some, like me, do not. Others don’t even give it a thought! I most feel sorry for them. To me, NOT contemplating my place in a bigger, purposeful scheme of life is the biggest sin of all. Then today’s verse came to mind.
Leaving ‘The Lady’ joyful and heading off the island en route to another appointment, the bridge was open! SHOCKED, I tromped on the gas to improve my odds, only to watch the gate come down 5 seconds before I was to cross. Trapped, I ran through my questions AGAIN! Only this time, I got the answer to ‘does God or does satan?’ ‘IT DOESN’T MATTER!’
Are YOU aware of God’s loving, teaching eye upon YOU, everywhere YOU go… no matter the obstacles?
