Would You Just Sit Down?

I’ve been on an adventure the last 10 days. It’s unlike any adventure I have been on before!

It all began on a path in the woods. I had hopped off a gator to take a picture. Now this is completely typical of me—no doubt anyone who knows me at all knows I have been taking pictures like crazy for well over a year. There’s so much beauty and inspiration around us! (But that’s another story).

I started down a muddy path toward a bridge across the creek , and my feet went out from under me. The right foot went straight out and was safe, but the left foot twisted spectacularly and I heard a loud “POP!” I thought “Uh-Oh. That sounded bad!” It was. I had broken two ankle bones.

This is a common human experience, I realize. Many, many people I know have had similar wipeouts and have been laid up. There’s always a question of how we will respond to these happenings. Will we be angry? Will we feel like a victim? Will we blame someone? Will we be glum and depressed and downcast?

I’m blessed with a loving family. My mother is as good a caregiver now as she was when she first held me in her arms. My sisters have both made their way to my chair side. My nieces are providing practical service and helps. My friends are reaching out from near and far with words of encouragement, jokes, and the right amount of teasing and good natured ribbing.

We are in strange days, my friends. There is so much evil and hatred being evidenced all over the world and in our own nation. The news broadcasts are full of death and sadness and suffering.

But there is also the opportunity to witness God’s hand at work. In nature. In the lives of our friends, families, and acquaintances.

Did the Lord “sit me down?” That’s a prevailing opinion I have heard. Since my nature is to be a “human doing,” did God just say, “Why don’t you sit down and spend some time with Me?” I have taken Him up on that—watching episodes of Dr. David Jeremiah, re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia, watching a couple of Narnia movies, watching two Left Behind movies, (having surgery and doing healthcare things), being visited by family.

This adventure is an adventure of the soul. An inward journey. A reconnecting with the Holy. A reminder of who the members of my troop are. A rare opportunity to sit and relax and enjoy the rest.

When I look back on this time of my life, I have a feeling that I will wish it could have lasted longer. I don’t know what I am being prepared for, but I feel deeply that this is a time of preparation.

“Will you sit down?” Yes, Lord. Help me to hear what You have to say.