Good morning…
“Hi Sue,” she wrote the day after Betty Skinner died. “Sending you a quick email. I am always amazed how the Upper Room seems to fit those moments in my life . . . connecting to mutterings and thoughts. Please see below. With the passing of Betty . . . and the prayer for spiritual mentors . . . I thought of you. Much love.”
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UPPER ROOM DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR AUGUST 18, 2021
The Best Path – By Jairon Otoniel Santana Suárez (Dominican Republic)
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. – PSALM 25:4 (NIV)
One day, my colleague brought her four-year-old son, Jorge, to the office for a visit. After chatting with us for a bit, he was ready to leave. His mother was holding his hand firmly, but he was squirming to get free, trying to open the door to make his exit. He gave the impression that he knew which exit door to use and that he did not need his mother’s guidance. I smiled and thought: How is it possible that this four-year-old is so independent and full of confidence?
Later I reflected on how we, the children of God, often act the same way. Many times we exhibit Jorge’s streak of independence and confidence. We firmly believe we know the best path to take, while God lovingly holds us by the hand to guide our steps. But still we squirm to be free, wanting to move ahead on our own wisdom and strength. However, God knows the best path for us. We can discover God’s paths through prayer, studying God’s word in the Bible, and consulting spiritual mentors.
God will not lead us astray. On that we can depend.
TODAY’S PRAYER
O God, we praise you for your presence with us. Help us to trust in your guidance for our lives. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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“Thank you,” I replied. “Consulting spiritual mentors. Yes, I will truly miss the guiding presence of Betty Skinner on earth. Just a minute ago, I typed in a title for a blog post I am pondering – The Muddle of Mourning. Today I just feel really muddled. It’s like I’m walking through mud in my mind. It’s weird. It’s exhausting. With me in Atlanta and Betty in Florida, I would not have seen her today anyway. Why does this day feel so much different to me with Betty in heaven and me still on earth?”
“The word mutterings caught my eye in your kind email,” I went on to explain. “Muddle. Mutterings. It is really hard to put words to my mixture of thoughts and emotions, to pinpoint exactly what I am mourning this morning. I think you are helping to clarify one truth I know for sure: I am mourning the loss of a powerful influencer in my life, a spiritual mentor who is one of a kind.”
“And then, about five minutes ago,” I continued, “I felt drawn to search my phone for a photo of Betty’s hands – alive, tender, expressive hands.”
“And your devotional talks about hands, holding hands, guiding hands,” I noticed. “How I will miss physically holding Betty’s aging hands!”
Muddled. Mutterings. Now my mind adds the word mingled. Words rise up from an old hymn. “SEE, FROM HIS HEAD, HIS HANDS, HIS FEET, SORROW AND LOVE FLOW MINGLED DOWN. DID E’ER SUCH LOVE AND SORROW MEET, OR THORNS COMPOSE SO RICH A CROWN?” Written by Isaac Watts, these words rise up in me from “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (1707).
As I pour myself out in an email to my friend, more clarity comes, more clarity comes.
“I am so happy that Betty is overjoyed to be at home with Jesus in heaven, and I am really sad that I will never see Betty again on earth,” I explained. “On earth, I will never again hold her soft, spotted hands. On earth, I will never again enjoy her contagious, impish smile. On earth, I will never again hear her wise, reassuring voice filling my being. These are definite losses to mourn. Thank you for walking beside me through all of life’s many joys and sorrows, as my mixed emotions flow muddled down.”
Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief] (Romans 12:15, AMP).
…Sue…
