February 18, 2009
The birds outside my window this morning seem unusually loud. In spite of the cold rain, they are persistent in their singing. My resident cardinals sing “What cheer! What cheer!” And the robins sing, “Cheerily, Cheer-Up!” Nature is cheerful, outside our door, to welcome us to another day, no matter how the day begins. But before the birds started to sing, I woke to a most unwelcome song of dripping water coming into our attic and another familiar voice singing (oh please, let it be a dream at 5:00 a.m.), “Oh, No, don’t let the rain come down! My roof’s got a hole in it and I might drown!” We thought we had that fixed a few months ago. Apparently not. My plans for the day have changed to be at home to meet with insurance adjusters and repair people. And as I sit here and wait and write, I am thankful for the song of the birds. Nature waits in perfect harmony while we adjust to an imperfect world.
Yesterday I received news of another family adjusting to the heartbreaking news of a CJD diagnosis. For a disease to be so rare it certainly has reared it ugly head too often and I am overcome with grief and heartbreak for a family that I do not even know. All of a sudden, I am swept back into the first knowledge of a foreign disease attacking my child, reliving and remembering the horror and disbelief of the diagnosis, aching now for someone else who has to walk that road. But it happens every day. Someone wakes up to change in the weather or change in their lives that is not easy to bear. So we look for help. We call friends and doctors and adjusters. We wait and listen to the rain fall on our lives, helpless until help arrives; hoping the damage is minimal and quickly fixed and we can get back to normal. We change our plans. We don’t always sing about it.
It is just a few hours now since waking to the rain and I am happy to report that our insurance agent has already sent the adjuster and the claim has been filed and help is on the way. Now that is fast service. Insurance is a good thing since more rain is expected this afternoon. Isn’t this all very similar to having the Lord in our lives, ready and available to help us with our “claims”? But often, we treat the Lord like we treat our insurance adjuster. Oh, we go to church and we give our time and money, filing our Bible like we file our policy, but we don’t really KNOW the one who can help us until a crisis comes and we cry for help. Then we rummage around, find the phone number, and start making demands for service right away. Where is God when I need him?
I am reminded to be so grateful when I wake to the music of the cardinals and the robins remembering what Megan and I said every day, “This is the day the Lord hath made, we will be glad and rejoice in it.” And I will spend some time waiting on God, the Great Adjuster, the one who covers our lives with a promise for whatever the day may bring, reading his Word, listening for His direction, knowing that there will be some rain at some time. And even though our hearts have big, big holes, I know I won’t drown. I can trust the One who paid for my policy on a cross. It’s good insurance.
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