Monday, September 27, 2010

Fingerprints

I lay on the couch sandwiched between pillows and a quilt. A Kleenex box, hand sanitizer pump, books, and a tall glass of water are by my side. "Lord, you know best," I pray silently.

As I look at the circumstances that surround this cold, I see the fingerprints of God. These are not cruel fingerprints, but rather the loving pat of a Father's hand. Some of the pats are soft and gentle. Take the provision of time, for example. My plan had been to be baking full swing last week when I was starting to feel the drain of my cold. That is until, prior to any cold symptoms, I made the decision to stop my farmers' market season one week early. God's direction.

Another pat, this time a bit harder, is having a forced break. My body is in need of time to heal after an intense summer of baking, but there is no time for that right now. Or so I thought. God knew better and is showing me otherwise.

Now for the hardest, most firm pat. "I direct my life. I go where I want to go. I am invincible." Such statements would bring a scoffing laugh to my lips if I uttered them out loud. I know they are not true. Yet there are times I unconsciously believe them. That is when God stops me in my tracks.

Some will say, "You were worn down. You were exposed to a germ. You got sick. It is all very natural." Yes, that is true. But where did nature come from? I believe it came from God and is even now being directed by Him. Evidence? There is plenty of it, but in the end it comes down to faith. Isn't it also faith to believe there is no God? Doesn't it take an overwhelming amount of faith to believe this complex world just happened by random chance? I believe so.

"God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.'"
Acts 17:27-28

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