TITLE: walking at Jesus right hand By julie clark 06/10/20 |
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
SEND ARTICLE TO A FRIEND |
was it easy to read
light-hearted or too basic
Penny sat down in her favourite chair, in the garden that she loved, a well-earned cup of tea and a stunning sunset. The spring air was cool, and a gentle breeze was blowing.
It had been a busy day sorting out the house; she had got it just how she liked it.
She laid back, shut her eyes, and listened to the birds singing the evening chorus.
Penny was a twenty-four-year-old, laid back, caring lady with brown hair cascading in waves down to the middle of her back and beautiful hazel eyes that smiled when she was happy.
She had a genuine sense of humour, that her friends loved, which kept her going through the rough and scary times.
She was born at a village hospital in the spring. On the day that she was born there had been a thunderstorm and as they looked out the window and there in the sky was a triple rainbow
She lived with her parents and younger brother and when she was younger; she was active in the community with brownies and guides and Sunday school. She was easy to talk to and the younger children in the village would always come to hug her and tell her all their news.
Although Penny was easy going most of the time, there were certain areas of her life as she got older that was hard. She had had panic attacks that started after stressful exams in the last year at secondary school. They were very draining, Penny was spending a lot of time indoors, a lot of it researching her favourite poetry people. Through the support of her family and church, she had overcome them.
Penny had always lived on the Yorkshire moors and never dreamed of being anywhere else. The thought of moving made her anxious again. But sometimes we can get too comfortable and we need to be woken up a little.
Now let me introduce you to the key man in the story, his name is Jason.
Jason was a strong, good looking man with stunning blue eyes and a large curly mop of hair. He was twenty-six. Unlike Penny, he had been part of a circus family growing up, so he never stayed in the same place for over two weeks.
His job in the circus was helping his father with the accounts. He was bright like his father and had an excellent head for figures. His mum and dad had paid for him to sit his English and Maths GCSE when they were in one place long enough, Jason learned so much just by experiencing the day to day running of the circus.
Jason enjoyed the life, but sometimes he wished for some quiet time alone. They were always on the move and he was looking forward to settling down in one place and find the lady of his dreams.
Sometimes in life, we must go through the darkness so we can come into a more glorious light………
And that is where the story begins
That very night Jason’s life was turned upside down. The circus had just camped on a site near where Penny lived, and there had been a good turnout. It was rare that a tiny village held such an exciting event.
That is where Penny and Jason met, one of Penny’s friends convinced her to go one night, and she had enjoyed it. Then the trapeze lady started her act. She hated heights, and it made her queasy just watching it.
Working on the finances Jason was part of the show, his job was to create manic mayhem with the monkeys which he was brilliant at.
Jason had just finished his act. He was thirsty and hot, so headed to the kiosk to grab a drink
When penny came along, she was unsteady on her feet and not seeing the bin right in front of her, lost her balance and fell over, right in front of Jason.
“Oh, my goodness,†he said jumping to her aid “are you ok?â€
Penny looked up and blushed,
“How embarrassing, tripped up by a binâ€.
“I’m fine thank you, sorry I’m unsteady on my feet,â€
“Oh, have you been hitting the bottle? A bit early for that!â€
“No, she giggled
“I was enjoying the circus but then the trapeze act came on. I have a fear of heights and watching that lady doing her trapeze act made me feel bad, so I came out to get some airâ€
Oh, it must be a woman thing. My Mum had that when she applied for the job as personal assistant to my Dad, she went for the interview and fell head over heels for him.
“Not for real, I hopeâ€
Jason let out a hearty laugh
“No, not like you have just done!â€
My Mum had to get over her fears so she could start seeing my Dadâ€
“Maybe a coffee would help, I have a snap of whiskey in my flask that my dad uses for medicinal purposesâ€
Penny grinned “yes please that sounds goodâ€
And that was how the friendship began.
That very night Jason’s world would be turned upside down, and darkness came upon them all.
After the circus had ended for the night, and they were eating the family meal his father felt ill, he went to lie down for a while but half-hour later he shouted out and there was a loud thump, they dashed over to his bed only to find him on the floor in agony.
They phoned an ambulance, and it seemed to take forever to arrive. They rushed him to the nearest hospital but, they could not save him. He had suffered a fatal heart attack even though there had been no warnings. It devastated the circus
Everyone in the village showed such compassion for the circus people, everyone rallied round and helped in whatever way they could.
The funeral took place in the church without charge and the council that they could stay where they were while decisions were being made.
Throughout this time Penny was a great comfort to Jason which cemented a powerful bond between them, Penny had a way of knowing when he needed to be alone or when he needed company. They both had a sense of humour and this often helped sometimes.
Plans and decisions completed, and it was with much sadness that the circus changed hands to a new family. Most of the workers moved with the circus but some remained close to support his mum through this terrible time, I think after the initial shock of losing her husband she felt good to stay in one place. They both joined the local church where Penny and her parents became close friends.
Nine months later Jason proposed marriage and Penny said “YESâ€.
Jason found a wonderful job as an accountant’s assistant thanks to the exams he had taken. He was quick with numbers and attended on a proper accounts course which he passed with flying colours. Jason also learned to drive and got himself a car.
The next year was manic, planning the wedding and finding a place to live, which was a small rented cottage on the hill overlooking the village. It was a fairy-tale wedding, fantastic weather, and
Now to settle down, thought penny.
But we all know things are sometimes not that easy. God is in the business of moving people on and Penny was about to change what she believed about herself and find out more about the supreme love of her Saviour Jesus.
One evening about three months after they moved in, Jason was late home from work.
"Hello, my precious lady," he said as he reached out and stroked her hair, kissing her on the lips
' 'what’s for dinner I’m starvingâ€.
"Your favourite steak and kidney pie and mash."
"Yummy," he said, I’m just going to have a shower and get changed then I will be downâ€.
Dinner was a rather quiet affair and Penny could sense there was something not right. She just assumed he was tired and just let the chit chat run its course. After the meal, Penny sent him in to watch the news while she washed up. She heard the basement door open and then shut again, Jason had fixed himself a drink
When his dad died there were two bottles of whiskey and Jason took them, it was medicinal purposes only
Penny knew Jason was at the door watching her. She looked up and laughed,
"Are you ok my darling you look a little distracted! Then she noticed the drink in his hand
There was silence. Penny put the washing up away and hugged him.
"It’s nothing I’ve done is it! Penny said, beginning to feel concerned.
"No my angel. we just need to talk about somethingâ€
"Ok, I’m listening, what’s up�
“Well, we all got a memo saying that the company is closingâ€.
Penny sat back and took a deep breath. She shut her eyes and said a rocket prayer. Penny wanted to be a supportive and patient wife, but her mind was whirling.
They had just got settled. Will they lose the house? will Jason find another job quick enough? or one that he could do?
“It's ok we can pray about it and talk about it, there may be new options, or just look around for a fresh jobâ€.
It made Jason happy that she had taken it so well. An excellent start to married life, patience and trust.â€
Philippians 4 v 5
Stand Firm in the Lord… 5 Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.…
As always when they faced a problem, they wrote a list of positives and negatives about the situation. Then they knelt together and prayed. And quoted their other favourite scripture.
Jeremiah 29 v 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.…
Even when things look bad to us as humans, we can lift our eyes to heaven and know that God has a plan for us
Penny and Jason had sometimes found themselves in situations that were challenging, but they had faith in their Jesus.
One of Penny’s gifts was poetry. She would go to bed at the end of a long busy day, looking forward to sleep. Then, as her world went quiet, she would hear God's small voice of calm speaking to her. Despite the hour, penny would have to get up and write what was in her head. or they would not go away, and sleep would not come.
That evening after they had gone to bed. One poem came It was very comforting, it was all about God knowing the future and that all they had to do was trust.
Trust for the future
I cannot see the future.
But all I must do is trust.
My savior Jesus sees it all.
And he will guide me through.
I do not know its twists and turns,
Its mountains, valleys, and hills.
But I can trust my Jesus.
And He will carry me through.
I do not know its joys and pain.
And every emotional high and low.
But I know who holds my future.
It is Jesus Christ, my Lord.
So today in faith I will take his hand.
And let Him lead me on.
Through all the joys and all the sorrow.
Until he leads me home.
By the end of the poem, Jason was fast asleep, and Penny knew God's peace. She surrendered everything and drifted off to sleep. The next morning Penny was up at the crack of dawn. praying and reading her word. The peace that she had felt the night before had fled away. She was not angry with God, but she was concerned for Jason.
For once in his life Jason wanted to settle down, now he was about to lose his job.
Then she heard that small calm voice of God again.
“Surrender to me and trust me, I will make a way where there seems to be no wayâ€
Penny felt like a rebel and she sank on her knees and cried, confessed all the negative attitude and frustration to God, and by the time Jason emerged for his breakfast, the tears had gone and the joy had returned
As the couple sat down chatted and prayed over breakfast, the Holy Spirit came with the peace that passes all understanding and they both surrendered to all that God had for them.
It would be a journey of triumphs and trials, but one thing was sure was that they would never be the same.
Penny kissed her husband off to work and told him to keep his chin up.
He smiled “I will, I love your positivityâ€.
Once he had gone, she turned up her praise and worship cd and got stuck unto some housework and even a little gardening.
Her mum popped over for a cuppa in the afternoon and before she knew it, the evening was here again.
Her mind went to Jason, but she was positive when he came back from work.
When he did get back from work, he was in a pleasant mood
"Hello my angel, what’s for tea
Your favourite,"
"Oh, what steak and kidney pie."
"No, your other favourite bangers and mash."
he laughed
"Oh, bangers and mash bangers and mash, nothing quite beats bangers and mashâ€.
It was the line of a song from one of his favourite children cartoons he used to watch as a child.
"So, how was work any news about when you finish?"
Jason put his knife and fork down and looked into Penny's eyes for quite a long time.
“Well, I have some interesting news. God is amazingâ€
“Ohâ€
"Yes. My boss called me in and said I know we have to let you go from here, but I have recommended you for an interesting jobâ€
"Oh wow, that’s fantastic newsâ€
“Yes, and it’s a job I have always fancied doing but. There is a catch, and we need to talk about it.
“Ok."
" Well, it involves moving to Wales. “Penny burst out laughing thinking it was a joke, but Jason gave his wife
that certain look that said I am serious Penny stopped, and there was about five minutes of stunned silence
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.