And we know that all things work together
for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His
purpose. (Romans 8: 28 NKJV)
Crash! I watched in horror as our
three foot tall wooden giraffe plummeted to the tile floor. Its head went in
one direction and an ear in the other.
Instantly, my hands covered my face.
Even though I saw the electric cord grab its legs as I cleaned the floor, I
couldn’t stop the fall.
Several years ago, Alan carefully
carried the stately figure home in his bag on one of his numerous trips to
Africa. The souvenir was a treasure to me and reminder of his love for African
missions.
After the shock wore off, I reached
down to inspect the broken pieces and picked up the long body.
Thump!
The wooden body hit the dust mop I
had been using. It fell against the wall and rammed the wooden wall clock. It
was a treasure my grandfather made for me years ago.
How
could I break two special items from two men I loved within minutes?
Tick Tock.
My anguish turned to shock. For
three years, my clock wouldn’t tell time or chime. It had become a decoration
but not a working clock. But with a smack by the mop, the pendulum swung and
the Westminster chime filled my home.
As I regretted the disfigurement of
the giraffe, I marveled at the revival of the clock.
While the clock ticked. I began a
repair job for the animal. At Alan’s workbench, I found a bottle of glue. When
it wouldn’t come out of the tiny hole, I took the cap off to examine the
contents. Unfortunately, I turned the bottle too far and it gushed out like
water. Paper towels soaked up the mess. Then I looked for more glue.
The contents of the second bottle
clung to the sides like molasses. Finally, it trickled out the teeny hole onto
the broken head. With a series of rubber bands, I secured the head and hoped it
would hold. When the head was stable, I would try to reattach the ear.
In bed that night, I could hear the
rhythmic ticking of the clock which seemed to lull me to sleep. However, the
lusty chimes every quarter hour roused me. For years, the clock was part of my
life and didn’t disturb me. But the new sounds kept me awake. After an hour of
trying to get to sleep before the next chime, I reluctantly stopped the
pendulum and wondered if it would ever start again. Fortunately, the following
morning it resumed its swing with a gentle prod.
The restoration of my clock came
about because of the brokenness of my giraffe. What I initially thought was a
terrible situation had a surprise ending.
I have found that losing Dad,
Mother, and Alan caused much grief, stress, and pain. Because of what I have
gone through, I have been able to comfort others who are also hurting. That has
been a surprise too.
Dear Lord, thank you for redeeming the
pain, accidents and stresses. Help me to reach out to others who need comfort
and to know about you. Amen
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