She Knew
By Carol Blansett
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3 (NIV)
She knew she had pulled in the walls and made her world very small. She knew without a doubt that it was true; told herself it was OK and “it too shall pass.” She just needed time. . . time to heal, to mend from the sorrow of her mother’s passing after a long illness after a string of other sad things in life beyond her control. It had been like having a child to care for, someone who needed her . . . and then no one was in that place. No one cared when she came home, but she found herself returning home as a homing pigeon does anyway, finding it a choice she made now instead of its being a necessity. It was her place to be, her ‘castle.’ God gave it to her and she could just be alone with God, to catch up on rest and healing, physically and emotionally.
One day she heard in a radio discussion regarding ‘living intentionally,’ acting with a purpose. It just seemed too much right now . . . too much effort, even too much of a thought to wrap her mind around. Hers was a temporary situation, she knew. . . but for now very real, very heavy upon her.
However, daily she listened to a call in radio show where people expressed concerns, requesting Biblical counsel in a nutshell while on air. The host counseled them on ‘living the intentional life,’ repeating the phrase often. The concept began to have meaning, to contrast with her basic milquetoast existence, living only for her work and to rest, to watch TV and crochet afghans in the castle she had built around herself.
Once she surprised herself in praying for hope . . . but as soon as the thought gelled, she knew the answer! The Hope is here already! It is Jesus! It is the Word of God! It has come . . . The Hope of the World is Jesus! He has come to save us from our foolishness, from despair, from loneliness . . . and we already have a purpose: to spread the gospel so that others might know the Truth.
In having resigned from a second job in the evening playing piano for a small church and for a nursing home sometimes as a ministry, she had squelched her gift and was not using it. A part of that stemmed from the sadness of her mother’s passing and a part was pure inertia. She knew she must move beyond the inertia; after all, it had been a year and more that she was grieving. She told herself that that was long enough, time to get on with life. But you can’t put a time limit on it and winter was here.
Nevertheless, her spring came early and in the dead of winter the bud of living was peeking its tiny head out to look around and view the possibilities. Upcoming was another Bible class she was excited about, involving delving into the scriptures to learn more about how God cares so much for us from the Old Testament throughout the New. The nursing home residents were sitting there and always glad to see her, to sing praises to God.
I know firsthand, you see, for. . . I . . . am she.
Copyright © January 2008– Carol Blansett. All rights reserved.
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