Knowing that God is at work in all things allows us the ability to rejoice in all things. Whatever comes, may we be a people known for thanksgiving. May we join the chorus of the faithful, choosing to live out the gospel with hope:
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thess. 5:16-18).
My daughter called me over with a simple request. Mommy, can we cuddle?
I was in the midst of rushing around and preparing for my day, but her sweet appeal stopped me in my tracks. In just a couple of days, I was heading out of town for a conference. I knew I wouldn’t have these moments with her while I was gone, so I joined her on the couch.
Of course I’d love to cuddle. She nestled her head in my lap, and I began stroking her hair, enjoying the moment. I glanced down at her hair, and I noticed something tiny and white. I looked closer. Fear began to rise.
Oh no, not lice. . . . Please not lice.
I know there’s much to fear in our world today. But I’m pretty sure the menace of lice has been a mother’s fear throughout all generations. Like tiny vampires, these bugs live close to the scalp, feeding off your blood, causing extreme itching and discomfort. (You might start to itch just reading this article.) As if that wasn’t bad enough, they also lay tiny nits all over the head that are painstaking to remove, especially for little girls with long hair. And, now we live in an age of super lice. Oh my.
After inspecting my daughter closely, I went to check my other daughter. The news wasn’t good. And, to my dismay, I had them as well. My busy day came to a screeching halt. I called friends asking them for advice. They gave me the instructions: wash all sheets, towels, and bedding, vacuum all the floors, couches and chairs, and put any other pillows and stuffed animals in plastic bags. My washing machine didn’t stop all day.
And then the four-hour lice removal process began. Every strand of hair was inspected with a special lice comb, pulling out every nit and bug. There were too many to count.
The only reprieve in the day came when I took my oldest daughter to the doctor for an already scheduled well-check-up for school sports. It didn’t turn out to be much of a break. As the doctor listened to her lungs, she looked at me and asked, “Can you hear that raspy rattle when she breathes?” My daughter was already on an antibiotic for an ear infection. Now, the doctor told me she had pneumonia.
HIS PLAN, NOT MINE
With this news, I began to chuckle to myself. (It was either laugh or cry at this point.) The conference I was busy preparing for involved a session on the topic of contentment. Of course this is my day! God knew exactly what I needed. While I planned to spend part of my busy day by looking over my talks, the Lord provided a different avenue of preparation: life. One of the questions I ask in my session is this one: How would our lives change if we accepted all of our circumstances with thanksgiving as part of the good plan of a loving Father rather than a random series of unfortunate events?
And now God offered me the opportunity to answer it in my own life. Perspective armed with truth changes everything. The God of all the Universe knows the exact number of hairs on our heads. He knew that on this day I’d find lice on some of mine. In fact, in his goodness to me he planned for them to be there. Today, I may not understand all the reasons, but I can trust his providence.
I also experienced the reality of being cheered on in my race by the faithful witness of someone I’ve never even met. All day long, between the laundry and the lice, one story kept returning to my mind, encouraging me to give thanks in the midst of unwanted circumstances.
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