Another Friday is here already! Time for Five Minute Friday. What is that? Something Gypsy Mama dreamed up. We write for five minutes on the given word. I reread mine to be sure it makes sense. No, I don’t use spellcheck! Then I add my photo and links and it is on its way.
Anyone is welcome to join. The variety is delightful. The most important rule of all? We MUST visit the writer just before us, read her entry and comment. Enjoy!
UNEXPECTED
I remember the two major days when this word took on new meaning.
June 27, 1970
I was in the hospital with apparently mild symptoms of toxemia, just over 8 months into my first pregnancy.
Each shift, the nurse checked the baby’s heartbeat.
On this day, none could be found.
It was recehcked by others. Still, no heartbeat.
A final test was done
An EEG on my belly…to see if there was a glimmer of life so they could do a C-section
monitors have advanced haven’t they?
As I looked on the 12 leads scraping across the page, I saw the answer
There was no lead that scratched a different beat
My baby was dead. We later found out she was a little girl.
UNEXPECTED had happened.
November 28, 1973
I lived in Jamaica at the time. I had two young daughters. Life was full and sunny.
The phone rang.
A friend told me to wait a minute, my mother would come to the phone.
Her flat, unexpected words followed: “Your father died.”
My shock and denial filled words followed, “No, you mean Grandaddy!”
She then continued to tell of dropping my apparently healthy 54 year old father off at his office that morning to finish a short job he had to do there. Returning to pick him up an hour later, she found him in his chair, dead from an apparent heart attack.
That morning he was feeling very tired and planned to return home to rest.
There have been many unexpected moments in my life. Those two stand out!
AS A RESULT OF HIS GRACE, I AM IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. I CAN ASK DIFFICULT QUESTIONS.
As a result of these two unexpected events, I found a God I didn’t know existed.
Yes, I was a Christian. I was a pastor’s wife in 1970 preparing for missionary service. In 1973, I was a missionary.
My response to those events showed me that I had an entitlement attitude toward Him.
I would serve Him. He would give me a good life!
I found a God who is not a God of formulas. He is a God of relationships!
There was nothing Biblical about my former expectation…whether I stated that belief aloud…and I never would have at the time. Or whether I discovered that was my belief by my response to adversity.
And He said unto me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Yes, I did go overtime!
photo: © Jlueders | Dreamstime.com
Awesome post! Reminded me of some of my own unexpected moments in life. God bless!
thanks rebecca:) does that make us sisters in grief? or sisters in hope? thanks for your kind comment…and for stopping by. it was a nice treat after work tonite.
thanks dawn:) without 6/27/70, there probably wouldn’t have been 6/24/71 and your birthday…i didn’t even go there. i didn’t want to go THAT long:)
hope you all are doing ok. did that snow stick?
Hard days. Good post.
thank you kateri. that is what i want to communicate to others in the middle of pain. i feel the weakness of my words and writing skill. am glad the message came through:) “when i am weak…” 🙂
Two of the most difficult unexpected things that can possibly happen and you show us that hope and beauty and growth can come from them. Thank you.
Hi Mrs. Martha! Thanks for your insightful post…thanks for sharing stories from your life…even though it meant going over-time. I don’t think that’s really a problem though…since that’s really the purpose of 5-minute Friday anyway — to get us writing and expressing what is on our heart. Thanks again for posting. Beauty out of the unexpected “messes”. God is faithful. 🙂
Because of His love,
Hannah Ruth
i think you’re right hannah:) that’s why i decided not to worry when i went over…and yes, God IS faithful!
HI there. What a beautiful post. This grace of God is so humbling. So undeserved and so amazing. I am learning, slowly I might add, that it is about relationship. Great reminder and perspective.
God bless
Tracy
thanks tracy for stopping by. yes, i still find the process of learning to be extremely slow. But even though the process my be slow, thanks hannah for stopping by as well:) i look forward to reading more of your blog too.