When Life Has Painful Surprises

Saturday Devotional...6/13/12

Last Saturday my husband did our usual ritual of going to Starbucks which we usually do after we have gone to the gym. It was rodeo weekend in our town that weekend, and cowboyness was everywhere. The cowboys were soon to arrive, and the whole town was revving up to be consummate westerners.

There were two children sitting at a table and their mom was nearby. They were about three and four. The oldest one was a girl and she was all decked out. She had a pink cowgirl hat on and a pink vest with fringe on the chest and at the bottom of it. Her boots were also pink and she had a denim skirt on to complete her ensemble. The younger child was a boy. He also was wearing western garb…a bit less fancy than his sister. She was a professional. The boy  had on a straw cowboy hat. He had on blue jeans and a plaid shirt.

Mom had bought each of them one of those frosted cake lollypops that Starbucks carries and a carton of chocolate milk. They shone with a happiness to be alive. Two other little girls were out in the patio, and though separated by the window, they were making friends and laughing and playing together. I just could take my eyes off them. They were adorable.

I had walked down to wait for my coffee when all of a sudden I heard a shrill shriek from up in front where the children’s table was. When I looked I saw the little boy had fallen off his chair and was on the floor. His lollypop was mashed into crumbs and his carton of milk had spilled all over the floor. As I listened to his loud crying I realized that it was filled with hurt that was not only physical. It was sounding like the cry of a broken heart. It was as if he was lamenting the surprise and disastrous end to his perfect morning. Something terrible and unexpected had happened, and the little tyke was beyond sad. He just did not seem to understand how such a thing could have happened.

 His mother picked him up and tried to comfort him. She held him for a long time kissing his wet face and rubbing his head. Finally he calmed down a bit. Then she put him back on his chair where he sat hiccuping from the cry. Then Mom started to clean up the mess. I watched the scene with sympathy for the family that this had happened to tarnish their perfect outing. By then we had finished our coffee and left the store. I never did see if she bought him a new snack. However, even though you can salvage jaunt it may be impossible to restore the original bliss of it.

Sometimes things like this happen to us adults as well. We may not end up down on the floor in the middle of a mess. I often think of it as a moment in time that you could go backwards to minutes before the tragedy happened. In one of the Superman movies there is a terrible earthquake and Lois Lane’s car is swallowed into a crack in the earth. In this accident Lois Lane died. Superman was flying above the earth, and he saw what had happened to his friend Lois. He loved Lois, and he started to cry. Then he went towards the earth and made it spin backwards in the opposite direction until it was to a point in time before the earthquake. Lois had not died yet. He grabbed her out of her car, and flew up in the sky.

The horrible happening had been avoided by this time reversal. It would be really great if this could happen.

In real life we cannot go back in time to change things that have happened that in an adult could compare to the heartbreaking thing that had happened to the little boy. Your husband decides to leave. You hear of fires that not only destroy a forest but also burn down lots of houses. You make and investment that does not bring the financial results that you expected and you are basically ruined. As you look back you see how innocent you had been about the possibilities of such a thing happening. It feels as if this incident is life

changing and that we are aware of how great things were before in in the days of ignorance of such pitfalls.

The good news we have our divine Superman who comes down to comfort us. He is able to turn bad experiences to good. He works to help us gain new wisdom and understanding. Sometimes he sends something into our lives that will help us to get over our heartbreak. In all of it He is holding us in the palm of His mighty hand. His love and attention is what we have throughout our lives. We need to remember this beautiful scripture when we are overwhelmed by challenges.

                                                        “For I know the plans I have for you." 

                                   declares the Lord.plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 
                                                        plans to give you hope and a future.
                                                                         Jeremiah 29:11

Dear Lord… 

Thank you that you will not leave us or forsake us. This means that in good times or bad times we know that we have a Comforter who never lets go of us no matter what. What a great and amazing God you are. You are our Jehovah Jirah forever.

 Amen.

Written by

Corinne Mustafa