Picture This

I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken for He is right beside me.
Psalm 16:8 (NLT)

Series: Games People Play

Have you ever played the game Pictionary? One person draws a picture while the others try to guess what is being drawn. At the stroke of the pen, players blurt out random guesses, often far from what the actual object is. Tension and frustration build as confusion of the unknown continues.

Sometimes, this scene mimics our lives. God has created a plan and purpose for each of us. He is the Master Illustrator. But, when we take the pen, it gets messy.

Picture this. At age 62, my life was feeling dull. I could not believe I felt that way because I had so much to be thankful for: a faithful husband, a loving son, a nice home, a cushion in my bank account, and Jesus! Wait what? You would be right if you noticed the order of my list was far from correct. Why was I putting Jesus at the end of that list as if He were an afterthought? But, in my self absorbed pity party, it was exactly what I did.

One day, I turned to God’s word and read Proverbs 3:6 (ESV). It says:

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

In my frustration, I ripped that page right out of the Bible. You see, friends, I was evaluating my life on what I saw in other people’s lives. In my mind, everybody but me was on the fast track—doing this and that—and here I was in this comfortable, but dull, life. So, I spiced things up.

Riding a scooter, which I mistakenly thought was a moped, seemed like a terrific way to add some excitement to my life. Right? But as my mom used to say, “To make a long story short,” this decision led to a terrible accident.

Just like in the game of Pictionary, let me draw out the details of my experience. 

After only a 10 minute lesson, I began my ride and immediately realized this was too challenging for me. But determined to live a more adventurous life, and ignoring my common sense, nothing was going to stop me. My pride had won this round.

About 3 miles down the road, reality hit. I knew I had to pull off the road. With my husband close behind me, we resolved to take the scooters back to the shop. You would think we would have enough sense at this point to have somebody come and get us, but we did not.

So, as I got back on the scooter, going up a slight angle, I took the turn too wide and veered off the road. Now my choice to put Jesus first kicked in. I cried out to the Lord for protection. Psalm 20:1 (NIV) says:

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress, may the name of the God of Jacob, protect you.

Well, God absolutely answered and protected me. In my distress, or “stupidity,” He took control.

He guided the scooter to avoid traffic, telephone polls, and fences. Then the most unusual thing happened—time seemed to stop—even though the scooter was going full speed ahead. I had time to think about how I was going to fall. I would take the fall so that the full impact would be on my shoulder to avoid a broken hip. After all, I am over 60.

As I fell, I thought: I hadn’t fallen like this since I was a child, and this was going to hurt. God took control and provided thick grass which cushioned my blow. I hit hard, and I heard a crack. My helmet hit the ground, then again and again. My hip and leg felt the next impact. But the scooter did not fall on top of me.

I was certain when I heard my shoulder crack it was broken, but it was not. My clavicle, however, was broken. The break was within millimeters of needing surgery. God’s mercy was with me. No surgery required! Got to love how God is in the details. I praise Him for this and His mercy too! 

Through this experience, Joshua 1:9b is a good verse for me to remember. It says:

For the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go.

Let me tell you what I learned:

• When we feel sorry for ourselves, do not rip out pages of the Bible. Let’s put God first and read the Words He has given us.
• Instead of drawing our own picture of what we think our lives should look like, let’s give God back the pen. His will for us is good and perfect.
• God answers us in our distress and protects us.

Sisters, had I turned to the Lord first to be satisfied, He would’ve straightened out my thoughts. My joy and satisfaction are found in Him, and He has blessed me. His way, His will for me, His picture of my life is not boring, but exciting. I ask you, “How can our loving, awesome, glorious God ever be dull?” Let’s trust Him with the picture He is drawing for our lives.

Holding Fast to Hope,

Patricia
Guest Writer

 

Scripture References: Psalm 16:8, 20:1; Proverbs 3:5-6; Joshua 1:9b