Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Grace Steps In

Papa, it seems, is always calling us to grow up a little more.  At least that is my ongoing experience!

For most of my life I have avoiding driving in the snow, as much as possible, and when given no choice would whine my way through the ordeal.  Yes, ordeal because that is what I made of it!

These days I have little choice.

Yesterday morning Ray had to get to the gym for his exercise class and then to two separate doctors’ appointment in the afternoon.

For those who don’t know…it was snowing.  The biggest challenge was the other drivers.

As I was carefully wending my way through the ice, snow and slush I realized that I was not experiencing the angst that accompanied such experiences in the past!

What made the difference?  Papa, of course.  I am grateful to Him for His Presence, which is pure peace and also for providing my little Pearly the Subby!  Both give me added confidence.

It was a long day, nevertheless.  We fit in some errands between the various appointments.  (Shopping is much easier when many stay home!)

I do not wear well and by the time we arrived at the pharmacy for Ray’s shingles shot it was nearing dinner time and I was very grateful I had felt prompted to pick up that little cooked chicken!.  (Thank you Medicare for making life more complicated…  It seems that the doctor is authorized to give flu shots, but not the shingles shot!  Thus the extra stop where there were forms to fill out and then a wait for his turn.)

I wandered the store to pass the time, as sitting down to wait would have made it difficult for me not to nod out and standing in one spot causes my back to complain.

Did I mention that I do not wear well?  Well, I don’t and I was growing more tired as the minutes passed.  The recovery programs all have a little acronym that they use to remind us of when we are most vulnerable to stumbling.  It is HALT (I add an “S” to this).

Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired and Sick.
When we are any of those we are never at our best.  I have learned that I need to keep my mouth firmly closed because one cannot be sure of what will escape from those lips of mine!

So there I was in the aisle of the pharmacy feeling very grumpy and put upon as I was feeling hungry, lonely, tired, which could easily feed into angry, when the piped-in music, which I had not given much attention to began another tune.

It was a lovely instrumental of “Amazing Grace!”  Imagine that!  Right out there in our definitely secular world!

There were no words to be heard, but my heart heard them!

“Amazing Grace, how sweet a sound that saved a wretch like me!”

Grace....unmerited favor extended to me by the LORD of the Universe!

What a timely reminder.  A reminder that He is always with me!  One that stirred my heart to give thanks right there in my weariness.

His Grace steps in no matter whether I am hungry, angry, lonely, tired...
 or sick or all of the above!

1 comment: