Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Illustrate the meaning of "Make Hay While the Sun Shines" (without using the actual phrase or literal example). (03/06/08)
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TITLE: Wonder Woman Acknowledges God of Wonders | Previous Challenge Entry
By Martha Davis
03/10/08 -
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Susan’s busy lifestyle required some shortcuts, and she was masterful at finding them. Since she had never enjoyed the malls (who needs the crowds and piped-in Christmas music on Halloween?). Her online Christmas gifts were greeted with such enthusiasm that she made shopping the net a Christmas tradition.
A high-energy multi-tasker, Susan was often called “Wonder Woman” by her co-workers and friends. She required little sleep—three or four hours a night had sustained her for some time. Since she could shop at 3 AM, online shopping was just another way she could do more with the limited time created by her demanding job and hectic schedule. And besides, quicker shopping meant more time to enjoy Christmas through the awestruck eyes of her grandchild.
But a funny thing happened during Susan’s quest for the perfect Christmas . . . the woman who had it all together started to fall apart. Instead of rising each day to take on the world, Susan struggled to get out of bed. Her energy waned by the hour, and though she hated to admit it, her 20-minute power naps had now become a necessity.
By mid-2007, Susan wondered if she would spend Christmas anywhere other than her bed. Just climbing the stairs was an insurmountable challenge—and Susan didn’t have insurmountable challenges! Susan’s limbs seemed to be supporting 20-pound weights and her back ached constantly. She felt as though she was trudging through wet sand in lead-laden clothing. Her lack of sleep and constant busyness had shorted a circuit in her I-can-do-it-all life.
Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 15 years before, the condition hadn’t slowed her down one whit! Even her friends and family often forgot she had the disorder that often debilitated others. If she could deliver two children without anesthesia, a little pain and fatigue wasn’t going to stop her!
But the fatigue was relentless. Her attempts to convince her doctor that another test would surely reveal the cause were met with frustrated acquiescence. “You’re too hard on your poor body. You’ve got to fix this because I’ve done all I can,” her doctor said. “Exercise 20 minutes a day and you’ll improve!”
Susan thought, “Who does she think she is telling me that I can’t still do it all? And when, and how, am I supposed to exercise?” She called her best friend and counterpart for commiseration: “Don’t let that doctor tell you there’s nothing wrong! You can beat this!” her friend, Super Woman, assured her.
So, Susan still tried to do it all, convincing herself that an extra power nap would do the trick. But it didn’t. Co-workers noticed Susan’s slowdown. Her husband picked up the household duties, and she hadn’t been in a grocery store or cooked a meal in almost a year. When Susan couldn’t drive an hour to her corporate office, she realized her days of doing it all and doing it quickly were over.
“Lord, why are you allowing this to happen now? My life has never been better.” Susan prayed for healing and restoration, but the fatigue persisted. Finally, another diagnosis left her reeling: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Was the Lord trying to tell her something that she wasn’t hearing—or wiling to hear?
Susan knew the answer, but Satan kept yelling: “Do it all and do it now!” And God continued to prod: “When’s the last time you fit me into your life?” God became more persistent (Susan hated that about Him) . . . “If you can’t sleep, why not talk to me? I’m always open 24/7.”
It took a while, but Susan realized she already had the perfect Christmas—online gifts couldn’t make it any better. Though she struggled with her health, she had a wonderful family, caring friends . . . and her granddaughter! But most importantly, she had eternal salvation through God’s gift of His son more than 2,000 years ago. In losing her designation as Wonder Woman, Susan gained the knowledge that she had always had it all!
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