Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The Hand of God


AutumnRose invited me to participate in "In Other Words". Basically her question was, how do you feel the hand of God in your life?

I see God all the time in the weather (while trying not to take it personally when it rains and rains and rains like its been doing lately). I see Him in today's beautiful humidity-free sunshine. I feel like the weather is God's way of saying hello.

I also see God in family and friends. It is so tempting, when you are prone to depression, to isolate and catastrophize. But reaching out for help is the only way to get it.

It reminds me of the story of the man whose basement was flooding. He prayed to God to help him. He went up to the main floor of his house as the water rose. He then was forced onto the second floor as the water rose again. As he looked out his window to discern the situation, a neighbor came by in a boat. He waved away his offer of help, saying, "God will provide." As the water continued to rise, he sought refuge on the roof. Another neighbor rowed by in his boat and offered to help. The man said again, "God will provide." An army helicopter flew by and threw out a rope ladder. The man refused to climb aboard saying, "God will provide."

Eventually, he perished in the flood. When he got to Heaven he said, "God! I prayed to You and I had faith! Why didn't you save me!?!" God said to him, "I sent two boats and a helicopter! What more do you want?!?"

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like the weather visualization. I think that too. Especially when the sun is peering through the thick clouds. It's like God is saying, "I'm still here." That's a grand message for me today.

Staying in Balance said...

Me too. I wonder if I would feel the same if I lived in California...

Dymphna's favorite quotes


"Slavery ended in medieval Europe only because the church extended its sacraments to all slaves and then managed to impose a ban on the enslavement of Christians (and of Jews). Within the context of medieval Europe, that prohibition was effectively a rule of universal abolition. "— Rodney Stark

my poetry on the web

Karumi Garden

Karumi Garden
my haiku