operation

Welcome to unseen. It has been a hard week and I am glad it is nearly over. God reminded me that he can take care of my family members. I know that but it is hard to watch when they have bad days. Read on to see what I was reminded of this week.

Operation

Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

 

                A man is going in for an operation. The nurses start IVs and clean the incision site. The transport aides move the man onto the gurney and begin rolling him down the hall. His wife follows, holding his hand. They reach a pair of swinging doors and she kisses him and goes to the waiting room. Inside the operating room, the doctors and nurses perform a well-rehearsed symphony in the sterile environment. They move together with few words needed, each one doing his or her part to complete the operation efficiently and safely. In the waiting room, the wife prays and waits. She fidgets and paces. She drinks coffee and chews her nails. Finally she gets up and when someone runs out of the operating suite she pushes her way in. She comes up behind the doctor doing the surgery and says, “Do you need some help? I think the incision is too big. Are you sure those stiches are going to hold? They look a little long. You know, while you’re in there can you do some liposuction? Why are you taking so long?”

                What would you do if you were the doctor? You had gone to school for years. You had practiced your skills. Here was a woman coming into your sterile, safe environment, bringing germs, advice and demands. We would never do that, would we? Unless it is to God. Do you have a loved one that God is working on? Perhaps it is a stubborn teen or a family member or friend opening a heart to God. How hard is it to sit in the waiting room and let God do His job? God informed me that my job while He was working on my loved ones is to pray, sing praises and love them. I would much rather tell God how He should hurry and suggest things He could fix while He is at it.

                I love and hate the verse in Isaiah that says, “Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31) I love it because it reminds me that God is faithful. I hate it because it is so hard to wait.  I am a good West Texas girl and was taught to pull myself up by my own bootstraps, even if I don’t have any boots. I have to rely not only on God, but on friends who bear each other’s burdens. The waiting room is a hard place to be.  If that is where you are, take courage. The Great Physician has your loved one in His mighty hands. If you are not there now, you probably have been and can bear someone’s burden.

 

 

Welcome to Unseen today. Today i feel nostalgic and sad. My children are growing up and my parents have passed away. Today is the anniversary of  my mom's death. I went looking back through old writing looking for encouragement. This is what I found. Hope it is helpful for you, too.

 

Watch Me

The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him. Ps 33:5

“Watch me, Mama!”  How many times have I heard those words in the last 19 years? Usually they are followed by a daring feat, a skateboard jump, a dive or even a spectacular crash with Hot Wheels. Many times, it will work great until the moment that I look, and then fall flat. It doesn't matter to my kids though. They just love the attention.  It is not just my kids either.  When my kids were little, I would sit out on the front porch with them on cool evenings.  I would watch them play and neighbor kids would come up. “Hey, Rob's mom, watch!”  The need to be noticed is universal. We don't seem to outgrow the need either. I was talking to one of my residents at the nursing home where I work not long ago. She had been a professor at a local college, and I asked her what she liked best about teaching. She looked me in the eye and said, “People would listen to me.”  What an indictment on our culture.

In Genesis 16 we read the story of Hagar, Hagar was Sarah's maid. She had been given to Abraham so she could bear him a child. This was Sarah's idea. When Hagar actually had the child, Sarah was furious and jealous and the Bible says Sarah was despised in Hagar's eyes.  Abraham tells Sarah that she can do what seems right with Hagar. Sarah sends her to the wilderness.  In despair, Hagar is crying in the wilderness, when an angel finds her and brings her words of assurance. She builds an altar and says “You, oh Lord have seen me.” Her words in Hebrew, El Roi, are one of the names for God: the God who sees.

When I was little I used to hear the song “There's an All Seeing Eye Watching You” , and to be honest it gave me the willies. I pictured a big eyeball watching everything I did, waiting for me to make a mistake. I know now, though, that it is the eye of a loving God watching over me just as he watched over Hagar. Psalms 121:5 we read, The Lord watches over you. He is your shade on your right hand. Matthew 10 says that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without his knowledge. Ladies take comfort in the fact that your Father is watching you and he sees all your pain and the injustices done to you. You are precious to him.