SelahV Today by hariette petersen

My Knight in Shining Armor

Last Friday I had an appointment with a neurologist to see if they could determine what is causing this crazy vertigo I have.  "It's not normal", says my ENT.

However, last Friday, I didn't want to leave the house because the threat of ice and sleet was all but certain for our roadways.  I've come to really trust what our meterologist, Austin Bowling, tells us on Channel 7.  Parts of our area were already being hit early in the early a.m., but it hadn't hit us on the eastend of my county here in Oklahoma, yet.  I considered canceling my appointment, but appreciated the fact I'd gotten in to see this specialist as soon as I did and didn't want to postpone it.

So I donned my heavy red sweater, new red gloves and wrapped two winter scarves around my head, then grabbed my cane and waddled out the door to my Prius.  It was bitter cold, as you all know due to the windchill factor.  We were down to 28 degrees and bitter north wind wrenched my scarfs from my neck with every step. Thirty minutes later, I arrived at Southwest Medical Center, and gratefully parked my car relatively close, and went inside. However I was in the wrong building.  So I had to waddle back out, crawl back inside my car and go to the otherside of the Hospital. This time I wasn't so blessed. I had to park farther away from the building.  Yeah. They had handicap parking up close, but I've never applied for one of those tags. Figured there is plenty of handicapped folks more handicapped than me and until I reached a point where it's near impossible to walk, I'll let the wounded soldiers in our area and all the other handicapped folks have those spaces. (I confess...I sure thought it woulda been nice at that particular moment though.) 

I entered at 10:45 a.m. and walkways were still dry.  After waiting for 45 minutes in the office, I'd called my husband, and he said it had started icing over in area.  I wasn't concerned so much about driving in the icy rain (hadn't driven in New England for 15 years without developing courage on icy roads).  My concern was walking on ice with my cane.  I envisioned myself slipping on the sidewalks and cracking my already messed up noggin beyond fixing. By the time I finished with my doctor the clock was hugging 1:45 p.m..

Enter my Knight in Shining Armor (well, actually he looked more like Santa with his bright red car-coat)...but...

I'm checking out of the doctor's office and hubby calls.

"Which building are you in?"

I tell him and he tells me when I'm done to meet him in the lobby with my car key and he'll get my car and bring it to me. 

So...I meet him downstairs about 20 minutes later, and he says, "take a seat".  I watch him trek out to my car in the freezing rain. People came and went in the lobby as my husband warms up and scrapes all the ice off my car.  Then hubby drives the car around to the Medical office curb, walks me to my car, puts me inside, kisses me good-bye and sends me on my merry way home.  He goes back to his truck and returns to work. 

Was I grateful?  You betcha.  Not just for that day and that relief, but that the Lord blessed me with such a thoughtful knight-in-shining-armor over forty-nine years ago.

One man in the lobby of the medical building lobby said to me as he watched my husband helping me, "Chivalry is not dead, yet."  And I replied, "neither is love."

THE FIRST GREETING OF THE DAY

CAN SET THE STAGE FOR EVERY MOMENT TO FOLLOW.

The first greeting of your day can often set the atmosphere for the remaining 18 or so hours till you rest your head upon your pillow at night.

Wouldn't it be lovely to wake each morning to a room full of roses and pure delight?  to hear the sweet melody of your favorite song in the background?  rather than a blaring alarm clock?  to have someone deliver a bowl of sweet luscious strawberries and blueberries to begin your breakfast?  to have a back massage following your shower?  ah... sweet bliss.

Some people are not morning people. And what I described would not interest them in the least.  Others, like me, wake with fog-brain.  When I awake with fog-brain, it takes immense effort for me to part the mist of mush within my mind.  Coffee does not do that for me...anymore.  I drink decaf.  Glazed donuts do not do it either--sugar rushes are a thing of my past.  The thing that opens my eyes and starts my day like the first push of a domino in a line of multiple events, is a Word from God. And the quickest way to receive that Word is to wake with childlike wonder and say, "Good morning, LORD, what shall we do today?"

Peter Lord, in his book, Hearing God, writes that:

"The Lord does not force you into goodness or anything else, but He can and does work through every possible means to get your attention.  He calls.  He woos. He makes Himself known to you.  He knocks on the door and comes in with your permission when you open it."

Therefore, if we rise each morning with an attitude that immediately lifts the blinds of our minds, throws open the windows of our soul and praises God from Whom new mercies are found at the rising of each sun, the doorway to God's complete presence is there to greet us with assurance and confidence.

I find myself so much better off if I take a moment and dwell on God's goodness and mercy and thank Him for another day of life, another day to praise Him-- and then watch my day unfold as He would have it unfold for me. Praise is a catalyst.  It is the fuel in a heart which seeks God's presence.  And yes, I mean presence.  Not some faraway mystical out-of-body experience.  When we talk with our family or friends we do not need to be catapulted to the moon to connect with them.  However, when we take a moment to tell another how much they mean to us, it makes their day.  It opens the portal of communication.  If it didn't, we wouldn't be so affected by a smile, or conversely, a scowling frown and grumpy attitude.  It's the same with our relationship with God.

When I choose to begin my day with thoughts of me, me, me--and all my sorrows and pain and struggles of yesterday, or my upcoming challenges, I leave God out. Then the day begins with a succession of trials and obstacles--emptied of optimism.

I don't know about you, my friends.  But I need God.  I need His strength to meet my weakness.  I need His competence to meet my incompetence.  I need His joy to meet my sorrows.  He and He alone can fill the void of my day.  He is my only hope in the hopelessness that life offers at times.  And often God meets me with a specific reminder from His Word, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me..." Psalms 138:8; "Fear not, for I am with thee..." "...lean not to thine own understanding...".  Other times He gives me a friend who writes a word of encouragement--often meant for others in the facebook of social media--yet, there all the same for me, too.  Sometimes it is a song...that comes in a sweet melodious whisper to my soul.

Life is a beautiful opportunity to show the world that God is love and the instrument of renewal.  Nothing that occurs today is routine.  We can have routines.  But God fits new things, new people, new circumstances into our day-- every day.  We merely need to open our eyes and hearts to them and to Him.

"One of the surest ways to recognize God's voice is the effect the words produce in you.  The results of hearing God's voice center around increased faith and gratitude."~~Peter Lord, Hearing God

Are you grateful today?  Are you thrilled to be a part of God's plan and purpose?  Are you?  Or are you listening to the morning news, reading the latest catastrophe, and questioning His watchcare? Are you blocking out His voice and failing to see His goodness? Is your Gethsemane as difficult as His?  Are you waiting in the garden with Jesus?  Are you watching and praying? Won't you walk with Him today?

Thankful For Those Who Read My Writing

I just want to say thank-you to all of those who read my blog and other devotionals I write.  I pray that in some way I am a help to you.  Through the years I have benefited from people who wrote encouraging words, devotionals, and books that kept me growing in Christ.  I am so grateful for them.  I am also grateful to you who have taken time to write a comment, or send an email of encouragement to me as I write the things I write, find a kernel of inspiration, hope, or comfort.

Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my writing.  A lot.  I've been asking myself alot of questions, and re-evaluating myself in light of prayer, scripture and godly counsel.  I have yet to make any hard and fast decisions, but I've come to a few conclusions which I will share in later posts.  Suffice it to say at this time, that the season of Thanksgiving is in the air and my heart is simply full of immeasurable gratitude for you my readers.  Each and every one of you.

May God bless you and your loved ones in the next week.  May God be the comfort people seek in the darkest of hours, and the guidance they need at the crossroads of their lives.  Enjoy your time with your family.  Ignore the aggravating habits that they may have that grate on your nerves.  Remember you may have a few irritating factors of your own (I know I do).  Be happy.  Revel in the moments of joy you have today.  Let go of yesterday's heartaches, and let God heal your hurts.  Forgive those you can, while you can.  Tomorrow is no guarantee.  Be generous with praise, appreciation, and gratitude.  Be stingy with criticism, condemnation and judgment.  And above all, share Jesus as you are able.  Until later, selahV