Why I love God

The day started like any other day. Henry, Johnny, Gabby and Lily Pink all clambering to get ready for school. The bathroom was buzzing with bodies going in and out all trying to get a shower, (not at once I might add!) and Bob standing bemused as he had been pipped at the post yet again as he tried to access the facilities. Perhaps we needed a rota, oldest down to youngest, so that Bob could have a chance of getting ready first. 

As usual I was last and as I lifted my leg to climb into the bath that doubled as a shower my back buckled and searing pain spread from my lower back to my feet. The floor took the full force as I crumpled. 

Not now Lord, I have too much to do. 

My prayer fell on deaf ears. As I lay there I wondered what I was going to do. Everyone had left the house and I was on my own. There was nothing for it, I simply crawled to the bedroom, hauled myself onto the bed and lay there. The telephone was downstairs, and I had no way of communicating with the outside world from where I was lying. 

Father I am stuck, well and truly. What am I supposed to do now? 

Talk to me Vicky, we have all day together. 

Father, couldn't you just heal me so that I can get on with the daily chores?

I could but I want to spend  some time with you. 

So we chatted and I read the Bible and slept a bit. At midday I was beginning to feel peckish. I also wanted to get my hands on some painkillers which like everything else was downstairs. With determination I crawled to the top of the stairs and headed literally downwards, one stair at a time with my body trailing behind. Now, had I been two years old I am sure I would have loved this experience, especially having a nappy to pad the lower regions. Suffice it to say, I made it, although I did shed a tear or two. 

My first priority was to ring Bob, as there was no way I was going to be able to stand up without help, let alone make some lunch. I was also desperate for a drink. In order to make a call I had to reach the telephone so I had to roll over onto my back. Now picture if you will lying on the floor and looking up at a desk with a phone cord dangling over the side just out of reach. This might be hard if you all have cordless mobile phones, however we are still living in the dark ages in our house. So I gauged the distance and reached for the cord. My fingers missed by a mile. However I was not going to be defeated. Near to me was a lone shoe, left by one of my adorable children, which had no doubt been discarded and not put away with its brother (or sister). I lent over and grabbed it, swung it towards the phone and managed to hit the intended object as well as the keyboard, the telephone book and a bowl with cornflakes and milk still in it and saw all in slow motion hurtle downwards towards my head. As fast as superman, I maneuvered to one side, being hit only by the bowl of cereal and the phone book. Well two out of four wasn't bad! But having milky cornflakes all over my hair was something I could live without. 

At that precise moment I heard a key in the door, and to my relief Bob appeared in his suit and slippers. He took one look at me and laughed, and then seeing his footwear I too couldn't help but let out a weak titter as two Homer Simpson's stared at me. He looked at where I was gazing and weakly said, "oh them, yes, I forgot to change them before I left. Um the manager told me to come home to get my shoes as he didn't think the Chairman of the Board would appreciate my taste in footwear at our meeting today."

Thank you Lord for our chaotic house, if we were more organised Bob would not have come home to my rescue. 

That is why I love God so much, he answers our needs in ways we often don't realize. 

Before he went back to work Bob cleaned me up, gave me painkillers, sorted out my lunch and put useful things at the side of the bed for me. 

In time, rest and patience healed my back. And on the day when I walked out into the garden for the first time since the incident, God had a real treat for me. There blooming vibrantly in the sun were my favourite wild flowers, I can only think that the birds must have dropped the seeds. There swaying gently in the breeze, poppies, beautiful red poppies. Thank you God.

Why do I say 'Yes' every morning even when I don't know the question?

Every morning Victoria Sponge says 'Yes' to God before she arises even though she does not know the question. Why?

Victoria knows that her life is not her own and this 'Yes' is a submission to God's will for her that day. There is no one greater who can be in charge of her life, so by saying 'Yes' she is putting her daily tasks, job, joys and annoyances, in to the hands of God. She knows nothing is too small or large for her God to handle. 

That 'Yes' takes her life away from man's control into the divine realms of God's will. There, He can with Victoria's assent, bless her day and use it for His honour and glory. Even the ups and downs can be transformed into a daily prayer which will be celebrated by the angels and made worthy in God's presence. 

As our day progresses and our reactions to the situations occur we do not know the extent of God's hand on those events. But with our 'Yes' to the Father, we do know that He has the upper hand and has guided us away from those places where we would have stumbled and made a bigger hash of things. In a way we could say that 'damage control' has been implemented as we still have a say in our day as God gives us free will. However our 'Yes' freely given in the morning first thing, is the most important prayer of the day as it places us deeply into the will of God.   

Crumbs

You know that feeling as you are about to bite into a delicious cake. First of all you anticipate its taste, texture, and maybe its effect on your waist line. Then the moment of truth, as teeth, saliva, and tongue work away on the crumbling delicacy. Your mind is trying to decide if the first impression was correct or whether you have been coaxed into a false and disappointing experience. 

Life is like that, perceptions of a person, job, marriage, religion for example, all based on preconceived ideas. Our personal experiences can give us a false idea of life, leaving crumbs of disappointment that lead to poor choices. There is of course the media and all its hype about life. The pressures on mankind to be something that they can never be, constantly bombard our senses, so that when we take that bite we feel disappointed, disillusioned and distrustful of this false world. On the other hand our experiences can be so rose tinted that nothing quite comes up to that same expectation and we continue to look for that 'grass is greener on the other side' scenario. 

However crumbs can also be the result of an enjoyable experience, a gobbling up of the cake because it is so scrumptious. The licking of your finger to get the very last crumb on the plate into your mouth as you don't want to leave any hint or trace of the delicious mouth watering delight. 

Crumbs are what God gives us. Sometimes we turn them into bitter fragments as we distrust them and question their purpose in our life. Other times we see them for what they really are, teasers of a larger delight. If God gave us all of the cake at one go we would not be able to eat it all, we would become 'stuffed' and maybe even feel sick because we have eaten too much. God knows exactly how much we can digest and what is best for each of us. His crumbs will lead us to a greater Love, to His Purpose for our life. His cake will never disappoint us, it might challenge us and test our love for Him, but He will have chosen the portion perfectly.

God delights in us and we must trust His recipe for our life.