Barbara Preston, member of the body of Christ
Psalm 18:30 As for God, His way is perfect: the Word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler (a shield) to all those that trust in Him.
This morning it was on my mind that the ways of GOD are perfect. When God gives us a plan, a way to go, it will be perfect in every aspect and full of mercy because God loves us. Thinking about all of this reminded me of a couple of things that happened many years ago.
My husband came home from work one day saying that he had been asked to work on a project in Germany for 18 months, and families could go too.
After he told me all of this, the only thing I could say was that I wouldn't be able to go with him because of my mother being in a nursing home with dementia and other medical problems and I couldn't be that far away from her for that long. He was disappointed but understood and we talked about me making trips over there to visit from time to time. I was working full time but felt that something could be worked out with my employer so this could happen.
I knew I would miss him a lot and started turning to God asking Him to please help me with this feeling and prepare me for this.
This morning it was on my mind that the ways of GOD are perfect. When God gives us a plan, a way to go, it will be perfect in every aspect and full of mercy because God loves us. Thinking about all of this reminded me of a couple of things that happened many years ago.
My husband came home from work one day saying that he had been asked to work on a project in Germany for 18 months, and families could go too.
After he told me all of this, the only thing I could say was that I wouldn't be able to go with him because of my mother being in a nursing home with dementia and other medical problems and I couldn't be that far away from her for that long. He was disappointed but understood and we talked about me making trips over there to visit from time to time. I was working full time but felt that something could be worked out with my employer so this could happen.
I knew I would miss him a lot and started turning to God asking Him to please help me with this feeling and prepare me for this.
This went on for a little while until one day God spoke the following to me, in the form of a thought ... Since you didn't ask to go I am going to show you how to work things out so you can go.
Then God told me how it could be worked out so I could go, and I simply followed His instructions on what to do and every family member involved was helped in some way.
My son had been working out of the country for a while. He and his then wife had recently returned to the US and were living with his wife's family until they could get settled with jobs and find a place to live.
God's plan was for me to have them come and live at our house. That way they could keep an eye on the house for us while we were gone which my husband and I liked and they would have a larger place to live and more privacy than at the in-laws house. They loved the idea. Plus our dogs knew both of them and would be very happy to be able to stay in "their" home with people they were already familiar with.
The situation with my mother was going to be well taken care of. Drew, as her grandson, could talk to the doctor if a medical problem came up and call me, if necessary. Maria, my daughter-in-law, I knew could keep an eye on my mother's day-to-day physical needs and talk to the nursing staff, if she had any concerns, just like I used to do. Maria had a strong protective streak in her and it made me smile when I thought about how she would deal with this situation. I knew my mother would be in competent hands with the two of them.
I also realized my husband would be greatly helped by my being there because of the long hours he would be working, for help with meals, laundry, shopping, etc. Plus the companionship too was important to him and me and the chance to travel around Europe together once his work schedule allowed him to do this.
He was so happy when I told him that I could go. I told him how God had worked it out for us, and everybody loved it and was blessed in some way by it.
It still makes me smile even now when I think about what God did in this situation. It was a perfect solution because God was the author of it and I was able to go with my husband in peace and with gratitude to God for His kindness both to me and to all involved.
Second way God showed me mercy ... I had been in Germany for a while when I got word from my son that my mother was dying and, according to her doctor, had just a very short time to live.
I believed I needed to return home and be with her in her final days. I can't remember what I prayed during this time and was actually dreading going back because I knew I would just be sitting by her bedside watching her die.
I made an airline reservation to return to Houston where we lived and was preparing to leave. But the day before I was to leave I developed a physical problem and had to delay my flight by one day.
When I landed in Houston my son and daughter-in-law were there to meet me. I took one look at my daughter-in-law's face and knew that my mother was dead.
They told me she had died 12 hours before I got there.
It was a relief to hear this because I saw it as an act of kindness because I felt there was nothing, at that point, that I could have done except to sit there and watch her die.
God's ways are perfect and merciful. Certainly I would rather have Him guiding my steps than me doing it.
The situation with my mother was going to be well taken care of. Drew, as her grandson, could talk to the doctor if a medical problem came up and call me, if necessary. Maria, my daughter-in-law, I knew could keep an eye on my mother's day-to-day physical needs and talk to the nursing staff, if she had any concerns, just like I used to do. Maria had a strong protective streak in her and it made me smile when I thought about how she would deal with this situation. I knew my mother would be in competent hands with the two of them.
I also realized my husband would be greatly helped by my being there because of the long hours he would be working, for help with meals, laundry, shopping, etc. Plus the companionship too was important to him and me and the chance to travel around Europe together once his work schedule allowed him to do this.
He was so happy when I told him that I could go. I told him how God had worked it out for us, and everybody loved it and was blessed in some way by it.
It still makes me smile even now when I think about what God did in this situation. It was a perfect solution because God was the author of it and I was able to go with my husband in peace and with gratitude to God for His kindness both to me and to all involved.
Second way God showed me mercy ... I had been in Germany for a while when I got word from my son that my mother was dying and, according to her doctor, had just a very short time to live.
I believed I needed to return home and be with her in her final days. I can't remember what I prayed during this time and was actually dreading going back because I knew I would just be sitting by her bedside watching her die.
I made an airline reservation to return to Houston where we lived and was preparing to leave. But the day before I was to leave I developed a physical problem and had to delay my flight by one day.
When I landed in Houston my son and daughter-in-law were there to meet me. I took one look at my daughter-in-law's face and knew that my mother was dead.
They told me she had died 12 hours before I got there.
It was a relief to hear this because I saw it as an act of kindness because I felt there was nothing, at that point, that I could have done except to sit there and watch her die.
God's ways are perfect and merciful. Certainly I would rather have Him guiding my steps than me doing it.
As children of God, we see this over and over as we commit ourselves to His loving and wise care.
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