The woman smiled as she greeted her dear friends in her hospital room -
the reunion was sweet and not deterred by talk of what may happen soon.
The cancer diagnosis was grim but did not change her always pleasant disposition –
to her is it was just a case of determining the best steps to improve her condition.
She was hopeful that science and medicine could prevail,
backed by a belief that God was near and her faith would not fail.
The thing that always impressed these friends was her calm composure -
she was so optimistic that she did not consider her health to be a serious matter.
She was ready to take what life had to offer,
whether being healed, impaired or moving on to the place hereafter.
Turning lemons into lemonade is just a matter of personal conviction
to a person who believes it can happen in every situation.
Sorrow and set-backs have a way of cleaning out our spiritual abode -
of getting rid of the unimportant things that have long cluttered our souls.
Of helping us see more clearly what God has in store for us,
unencumbered with the things that really don’t matter so much.
That is the nature of the refining process,
to eliminate the things that would hinder our progress.
True grit is revealed when the going gets tough –
perhaps our behavior is improved when humility is all we are left with.
God wants to give us every good thing but often we don’t recognize them as such -
a challenge may be just what we need to provide a character-building touch.
Of a truth, God is in charge and interested in all of the details of our lives.
When we put our trust in Him, he can be our mentor and constant guide.
He can make us better souls than if left to our own devices,
He can magnify our talents and show us how to make better choices.
Going it alone is not the best decision we can make.
With God as our partner, we can overcome a multitude of trials and mistakes.
September 2021
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