The promised land?
A promise was made to my dad that there would be a home for us and work for him when we got here, to this land of milk and honey. So with a heavy heart and much bravery, we came. When we arrived there would be other disappointments. The home that was offered my family was a converted horse stable with only an outhouse too far away from the house. So we piddled in a pot at night. It's my first memory in the U.S. being only 3 years old at the time. I remember getting in trouble with my mom one night. I happened to walk in on my brother by accident while he was kneeling next to that pot piddling like boys do. So I thought I would copy him. I too knelt down over the pot only to have it run all over the floor, mom was not happy. I never did that again. Crazy first memory, but I guess I own it.
Our new "home" wasn't even close to my Aunt and Uncle, we didn't know anyone, we had no car, we couldn't speak English or read English, we were alone. From that quiant little village, to a glorified shack in the middle of the country of a land we knew nothing of. I've been told my mom nearly lost her mind, she felt so very lost in an unfamiliar world. Not too long after she would fall sick with what we believe today was Pancreatitus and was hospitilized for 8 weeks where I was not allowed to see her. I was sent to live with my Uncle and Aunt for that time. I have often wondered how a 3 yr old processes that separation from their mother. I do remember someone driving us to the hospital where my dad held me up in the air from outside so I could look in the window and be assured my mom was still here. I also remember someone saying she might die.
Don't we all have periods in our lives when we don't get to know why things happen the way they do? In the Book of Luke chapter 8 it say's that Jesus and his disciples were crossing a lake. A large "squall" came down on the lake. It was so serious that the boat became swamped and they were in great danger. Where was Jesus? Well he was fast asleep in the corner of the boat. The disciples woke him up yelling saying "Master, Master" we're all going to drown". Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and the water and it all calmed down, the storm subsided. Now Jesus did not say " wow I'm glad you woke me up when you did or we would have drowned". He didn't say "good job calling on me when you did boys, that was good timing". It had nothing to do with how big their plea was, nor did it matter how big the storm was. He turned and looked at them and said "Where is your faith?" What an incredible truth for us to remember when the big storms hit our life. "Where is your faith?" Actually when you think about it. God created the wind and the water. If we belong to Him we do not have to fear, He IS the wind and water. We will get through anything. Our job is excersizing our faith, if we have any, and learning what we need to from this storm. That equipts us for the next storm, and there will be a "next storm".