Trusting

How often have I stood on the threshold of fear and chosen instead to trust Him? ummmm....I'm sorry to say not often enough. But there was a few times when I listened and trusted in His wisdom and not my own. This is the rest of the story about Debbie, the first part is in the previous blog.

At girl's camp we were approaching the end of the week. I remember sitting in the Thursday night chapel so proud of my girls who had risen to the task of being responsible and caring with a handicapped girl on board. I had struggled all week with feeling bad about not being able to talk with them one on one and really get to know them but my attention had to be with the one who needed me most which was Debbie. My attention was brought back to the moment with a bright flash of light and a loud peal of thunder and immediately the lights went out. I scrambled to gather the girls around me and whisper words of encouragement. A security guard came with a flashlight. We were instructed to proceed to our cabins in orderly fashion as a severe storm was right over our heads and we had no power. I instructed my girls to walk to the cabin, do at little as possible in the bathroom and together head back to our cabin. I began the trek back with Debbie on my side walking as fast but as careful as was possible for her. Before I could even see the cabin I could hear them. Twelve little 6th grade girls running and screaming every time a flash of lightning and thunder came. The security guards were frantic, one of them came up to me and said, "you must get your girls under control, every time they scream we think one of them has been hit by lightning." I walk right to the bathroom as that seemed to be where the most noise was coming from. I told them they needed to finish and walk back to the cabin with me. I asked Debbie if she could do a quick clean up and ready for bed job without coming back and forth to the bathroom. Sweet Debbie, whenever she was not up to the task at hand she would always say, "I'll tough it out", and she always did. I'll tough it out became our motto everytime we were faced with something that seemed hard. So with a smile and a promise to "tough it out" again we headed to the cabin where she finished getting ready for bed. I remember breathing a brief prayer of thanks that at least it hadn't started to rain when the clouds burst forth with buckets of rain. We soon realized that our beautiful little oasis of a cabin leaked. Not only one leak or two but many. The girls began scrambling for a dry spot to sleep as the rain was pouring in. Thankfully Debbie's bed was not wet but she was beginning to moan and said to me, "miss joni, I have a headache". Oh no, I thought, not this. Debbie's headache were a precurser to her seisures. I knelt down by her bed and prayed that God would hold her in His arms and bring her sleep. I felt so helpless and would I be able to rise to the task at hand? I leaned over and whispered to her gently, "Debbie, can you tough this one out?" she smiled, "yes". I told the girls we would need to move our things in between the drips very quietly. It wasn't 2 minutes later that I looked over at Debbie and saw her sleeping peacefully. I don't know how long it took us to find places that were dry as it seemed to take forever until all the girls were in their sleeping bags. I had been using a flashlight all this time and once the girls were settled I turned it off. In the darkness I heard some of the girls crying. I breathed a prayer of help. I asked the girls if they would like me to read to them? "Yes, please miss joni would you?" I picked up my Bible and turned to Philippians and began to read. I can't describe the peace that settled over the cabin that night. The storm was raging outside and you could hear the rain coming into our cabin but there was a sweet peace that settled upon us like a warm soft blanket. As I finished with the book of Philippians, I heard a little voice in the dark that said, "miss joni, can you read some more?" I turned to the Psalms and began to read.

This experience has been a marker that God has given to me, that He is always enough. His presence can bring peace and calm to a chaotic situation. Nothing baffles Him or gives Him cause to panic. His Word can calm the storm. He is faithful and His Word is powerful. I am so thankful to a God who teaches, guides, gives counsel, His ways are perfect.

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you." John 14:27

That peace that He gives us comes from looking into His face and realizing He is not disturbed by what we go through.

His - Joni