Lifting the clothes out of the washer, Ann started moving them over to the dryer. Something wasn't right, these clothes were sopping wet. "Aargh!" she thought. She just didn't need this kind of trouble.
She heard Ruth calling her, so Ann slammed down the lid, with the faintest hope that a jolt might get the washer working, and headed to the family room.
Ann had been living with Ruth for 3 years. Ann was the caregiver and Ruth was the Parkinson's patient. In the beautiful way that God often orchestrates in such relationships, they had become close friends and devoted sisters. Ruth knew something was wrong, and as she had a million times before, she wished she could do something to really help. She laughed when people would tease about how they wished they could 'sit around all day'. But she could never find the words to explain how very tiring and trying it actually was for her to do so little.
It was Sunday afternoon, they agreed that the easiest way to handle the laundry was go to Ann's house. Ann guided Ruth's chair carefully down the ramp in the garage. Once the wheelchair was loaded and they were both buckled in, Ann and Ruth played the checklist game. One of them would say, "Do we have our purses?" The other one would look and confirm by saying, "Check." Back and forth a few times more, and they would agree they had everything they needed. And then, in a way that was funny to the two of them, they agreed that if they didn't have something, they mustn't really need it.
Ann felt a little pang in her heart as she unlocked her front door. She had kept her home because she loved it. The last three years had flown by, and although she sometimes considered selling it - she had figured she would need it again some day. She pushed open the door and cold air greeted her. But she wasn't concerned, she had had a new furnace installed a few months ago, she went over to the thermostat and cranked it up before going back out to get Ruth.
"Last load?" Ruth asked when Ann came back into the den carrying an overflowing basket. Ann nodded, and asked her own question, "What time did I call the furnace people?" Just as Ruth was saying it had been 30 minutes a welcome knock on the door brought Ann to her feet. It was the owner of the company, and he had been mortified when Ann called to say her brand new furnace wasn't working.
Ruth enjoyed sitting in Ann's house. It was a pretty and comfortable home with lots of books, knick-knacks and frames full of pictures that told an interesting story about her friend. Ruth had stopped thinking of Ann as her caregiver a long time ago, and she hoped they would always be together. They had truly become loving sisters in Christ and she counted Ann as a great blessing. But tonight she wasn't comfortable. She was covered with one of those incredibly soft and warm fleece blankets, but her Parkinson's had made her joints very sensitive to the cold and now she couldn't wait to get home.
Rinsing out their hot chocolate mugs, Ann thanked God again for the amazing day He had given them. The last blessing happened at bed time, when Ann had gone to get the pain cream from the backpack they use for long days. As she held up her missing passport for Ruth to see it, they had both burst out laughing as the blessings of the day flooded in on them.
They had both laughed and praised God at His creative way of taking care of them. Ruth's broken washer had led them to Ann's cold house. The cold house led to the heat/air owner inspecting and restoring gas flow to the furnace before the weather dropped below freezing. Now the working furnace was set at a minimum temperature to prevent the pipes from freezing and causing all sorts of water damage. Finally, after searching through every file in her desk for her passport 2 weeks before, Ann had found her missing passport when she went to get the pain cream for Ruth's cold joints.
Dear Lord, may I remember to stop labeling each thing in my life as bad or good. Please open my eyes like you did Ann and Ruth's. In Jesus name, amen.
Written by Mary M. Wilkins
Listen to Jeremy Camp perform his praise song "Walk by Faith":
http://youtu.be/lnXNTXCYwVs
She heard Ruth calling her, so Ann slammed down the lid, with the faintest hope that a jolt might get the washer working, and headed to the family room.
It was Sunday afternoon, they agreed that the easiest way to handle the laundry was go to Ann's house. Ann guided Ruth's chair carefully down the ramp in the garage. Once the wheelchair was loaded and they were both buckled in, Ann and Ruth played the checklist game. One of them would say, "Do we have our purses?" The other one would look and confirm by saying, "Check." Back and forth a few times more, and they would agree they had everything they needed. And then, in a way that was funny to the two of them, they agreed that if they didn't have something, they mustn't really need it.
Ann felt a little pang in her heart as she unlocked her front door. She had kept her home because she loved it. The last three years had flown by, and although she sometimes considered selling it - she had figured she would need it again some day. She pushed open the door and cold air greeted her. But she wasn't concerned, she had had a new furnace installed a few months ago, she went over to the thermostat and cranked it up before going back out to get Ruth.
Ruth enjoyed sitting in Ann's house. It was a pretty and comfortable home with lots of books, knick-knacks and frames full of pictures that told an interesting story about her friend. Ruth had stopped thinking of Ann as her caregiver a long time ago, and she hoped they would always be together. They had truly become loving sisters in Christ and she counted Ann as a great blessing. But tonight she wasn't comfortable. She was covered with one of those incredibly soft and warm fleece blankets, but her Parkinson's had made her joints very sensitive to the cold and now she couldn't wait to get home.
Rinsing out their hot chocolate mugs, Ann thanked God again for the amazing day He had given them. The last blessing happened at bed time, when Ann had gone to get the pain cream from the backpack they use for long days. As she held up her missing passport for Ruth to see it, they had both burst out laughing as the blessings of the day flooded in on them.
They had both laughed and praised God at His creative way of taking care of them. Ruth's broken washer had led them to Ann's cold house. The cold house led to the heat/air owner inspecting and restoring gas flow to the furnace before the weather dropped below freezing. Now the working furnace was set at a minimum temperature to prevent the pipes from freezing and causing all sorts of water damage. Finally, after searching through every file in her desk for her passport 2 weeks before, Ann had found her missing passport when she went to get the pain cream for Ruth's cold joints.
"I don’t think the way you think.
The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
God’s Decree.
“For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think."
The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
God’s Decree.
“For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think."
Isaiah 55:8-9 MSG
Dear Lord, may I remember to stop labeling each thing in my life as bad or good. Please open my eyes like you did Ann and Ruth's. In Jesus name, amen.
Written by Mary M. Wilkins
Listen to Jeremy Camp perform his praise song "Walk by Faith":
http://youtu.be/lnXNTXCYwVs
This is an interesting story to illustrate the fact that God orchestrates things in our lives to help us in so many ways. We need to look for these hints that God is working for our good.
ReplyDeleteGod bless...