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Topic: Power (05/10/04)
TITLE: POWER CONNECTIONS By Antje Hill 05/17/04 |
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Katherine made one final brush through her hair and pinched her cheeks to add a little color. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was still a pretty woman. Her curly dark hair had been cut short to make it easier to care for after her car accident a few months ago. She had learned to maneuver her wheelchair through her spacious, well furnished home. She and her husband had moved to Evanston only 5 years ago. They had beautiful dreams of raising a family here. How short lived her dreams had been. She had finally given in to her husband's demands for a divorce. But now she had to deal with her immediate problem. She had been told her medical condition may be permanent.
As she moved into her favorite spot beside the window, she gazed longingly down the street. She thought back to the times she had rushed out the door, jumped into her car, and sped away. She loved her job and would stay late many evenings to finish up last minute projects. But her favorite project was being a wife and homemaker to her husband. How she wished she could have had children. She wondered if that would have made a difference in her marriage. In her heart, she knew the answer. Children are not the glue that holds marriages together. Emotions welled up inside her. “Who cares what happens to me? There is not one person that would miss me if I….”
The doorbell startled her. Had she missed seeing someone drive up? She opened the door to find a young woman standing there with a basket of flowers in her hand.
“Hi, my name is Jan. I live two houses down. I heard about your accident a while back. I’ve been planning to come over, but something always came up until now. I thought you might enjoy flowers from my garden.”
Katherine’s eyes blurred with tears. “How thoughtful of you, please come in. You could not have picked a better time to stop by. I have been sitting here feeling a little sorry for myself.”
“Well, actually, I had to stop by. You were on my mind so strongly and I couldn’t shake it,” Jan admitted. They made small talk for a few minutes and then Jan added, “ I don’t know if you are a Christian or not, but this morning Psalm 46:1 was brought to my attention and I felt I had to share it with you. It says,” God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” I know you are going through a rough time and I thought that verse might be just what you need on bad days.”
Katherine avoided Jan’s eyes. It had been a long time since she had heard the word God.
Reading the bible was something she did as a child, but how long that had been.
Jan continued, “It helps me to have a verse to cling to when times are hard.” She moved toward the door. “I’ve notice you have someone coming in part-time to help you, but I am here close by. If you need anything, I hope you will let me know. Here, I jotted my phone number down for you. I am back and forth to the city daily, so don’t hesitate to let me know if you need milk, a book to read or whatever. After the kids are off to school, I would love to come over some morning and have coffee with you. I promise I won’t make a nuisance of myself.”
As Jan walked away, Katherine noticed how her smile was so uplifting. The sparkle in her eyes was refreshing. Katherine remembered when life made her feel that way. She thanked Jan for coming and promised she would keep her number.
“What a coincidence,” Katherine spoke out loud. She had stopped by at such a crucial time. Katherine smiled as she looked at the phone number. “And what was that verse?” She started to her office to look for a bible.
As Jan walked away, she thought back to earlier in the morning when she had called her mother, Beth. “Mom,” she had said. Ted’s job is not going well. There are so many cut backs, I don’t know what we are going to do if----.”
“What you do,” Beth solidly advised is claim Psalm 46:1. God has a plan. Thank Him for what He is doing. You and Ted do your best and leave God the rest. You know I’m right, Jan. Now, pass it on!”
Beth did not know when her husband, Nick, had awakened that morning he had prayed, “God give Beth an extra measure of power today, to use in someone’s life, as she works here at home.”
Nor did Nick know that as he prayed for Beth, his minister was praying for him, “God, bless every man in my congregation today. Make them aware of the power at their disposal when they pray for their family. Start a chain reaction, Lord. Let there be no power failure among your children today.