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dered, my “lesson” might be an opportunity
for others to show compassion or to help in
some way. Obviously, though, their words
and actions indicated that my situation
involved only me.
Until the Storm Passes
I was born to a country
girl who once witnessed a
person get struck by lightning.
She therefore taught
her children and grandchildren
an unwavering
code of conduct during a
storm: “Be still until the
storm passes!”
Until the storm passes—
that is what my state of
affairs had become: a
storm, a really bad storm.
So I did what I had been
taught; I became very still. In the silence I
came to understand that life is not ultimately
about the “storms” or the losses.
Instead, it’s about learning to trust God.
We need to “be still” and to submit our
I needed
someone
to pray
with me, or
perhaps
ask, “What
can I do to
help?”
lives completely to Him.
When I finally totally surrendered my
life to God, He impressed these words
upon my heart: “Lord, teach us to pray”
(Luke 11:1) and “Give us today our daily
bread” (Matt. 6:11). As I meditated on
these Bible verses, I realized that in
spite of my circumstances
and regardless of all of my
questions, the Holy Spirit
had given me the words I
needed to begin to talk to
God again. And so I began:
“Give us today our daily
bread.”
This scripture illuminated
my path and allowed me to see
the “bread”: gas in my car;
clean clothes to wear; a sample
pair of hose; stamps found;
food court samples; a kind
representative for my lender, who gave me
a few months of reprieve; a call from a caring
friend; a “buy-one, get-one-free” sale;
friends who opened their homes to me; a
free oil change; and on and on and on. Day
by day, whatever I needed, God provided!
Thankful in All
Circumstances
I truly am thankful for my time of
homelessness. It was a two-and-a-halfyear
journey that I’ll never forget. It
taught me to consider, catch sight of,
and, above all, appreciate my “daily
bread”—and to trust God more fully
than I ever had before.
In the end I lost my two-year battle
with the insurance company. When I
received the news, I distracted myself by
cleaning out my car. And wouldn’t you
know it, I found what I needed for that
day: enough change for one (happy)
meal with a pie on the side!
God’s Word is sure! Thank You, Lord,
for our daily bread. n
Leonora Spencer is a writer
residing in Georgia.
www.AdventistReview.org | March 21, 2013 | (249) 25