Encouraging Words and Chocolate Pie
Many of our blessings—life, health, children, salvation—clearly come to us from God. He sends other blessings through people He made in His image.
In the day when God created man,
He made him in the likeness of God.
He created them male and female,
and He blessed them
and named them Man
in the day when they were created.
Genesis 5:1b-2
Again and again, God uses others to encourage me when I most need it. He did it again yesterday. I began the day quite discouraged. While worshipping God, hearing His Word, and being with fellow believers helps me when I am feeling blue, being at church also brings my emotions to the surface. If tears are going to flow, it is especially hard for me to hold them back there. Yesterday morning was that kind of morning.
We are scheduled to begin our trip to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, at mid-morning today so that we can easily be at Ray’s first appointment on Thursday. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity. However, the opportunity also meant that I had what felt like a mountain of packing to do, plus several tasks I wanted to finish before mid-morning today.
My friend Susan came to visit in the afternoon. She kept me company while I wrapped birthday presents for two of our grandchildren. The chat about this and that was exactly the diversion I needed; and at the end of the visit, she spoke especially kind words of encouragement about all that Ray and I have gone through the last three years and expressed her hopes for the visit to Mayo Clinic.
While Susan was here, I got a text from our friend Carolyne, saying: “Have made a chocolate pie to send Ray off in style! Can you come by for a piece after church?” My reply was “Absolutely!! Thank you!”
When we got home from church and chocolate pie, Ray and I dove into our list of before-Mayo tasks, but while sitting at Gary and Carolyne’s table with our friend Fran, the tasks didn’t even come into my head. I simply relished the friendship and conversation while basking in the kindness of a friend who thought Ray needed a chocolate pie send-off.
Every good thing given
and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation
or shifting shadow.
James 1:17
Summer is a great time to give your children opportunities to be conduits of God’s blessings for others.
Bear one another’s burdens,
and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
Please pray with us that God uses the well-trained medical personnel at Mayo Clinic for Ray’s benefit, as we seek God’s blessing through many counselors.
Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory.
Proverbs 11:14