Carol's Corner

Hard times, the tough events and circumstances of life plague each one of us at some point in our lives. Questions plaque us at various times in our lives. Questions like, Why?, why now? or Why me? When we can not see the light at the end of the tunnel we question how long this can last or how we can possible make it through. Sometimes we see it as a result of something beyond our control or poor decisions we made prior. Yet, I know from experience, that often we are puzzled in the situation we find ourselves experiencing.

Sometimes my path in life looks like a never ending bumpy road. I climb to the top of one hill, hoping for a plateau only to be driven down into the valley, looking ahead to another hill. On a trip the variance of road heights, the curves, the changes in scenery make the trip more enjoyable but in life I often long for an easier path. Last summer my asthma flared up. Stress had been a huge factor as I watched my father’s health decline aw well as waited with my youngest daughter for surgery to repair and ankle that offered constant pain and decreased mobility. This daughter has some special needs and with the increase in pain and decrease in ability came a loss of independence. My nebulizer did not seem to touch the asthma. I wheezed, gasped for breath and coughed up phlegm until my ribs hurt. I needed to breathe. I needed to speak at Bible camp. Why did it flare up now and so much that nothing seemed to work to control it?

The bumps in the road seemed huge and insurmountable. Looking back I see God’s hand in the situations I puzzled about. I went to camp, ended up in the emergency room of the local hospital for multiple treatments and Prednisone. Yet as I spoke, with such decreased breathing ability, no one except myself and my husband heard it. God provided what I needed at that moment to share His Word with the campers and staff. He provided in the evening and the morning, yet in between my husband wondered if I would get my next breath. While I was at the emergency room, the main camp building caught fire. God kept me away from the smoke, which in my weakened condition could have been fatal.

I do not understand the bumpy road, the tough times in life any more than you likely do but I know that God is in control and I need to trust Him. He sees the big picture. This offers me hope, sometimes in little flickers and other times in a flood of light.

I pray that you too will find hope in the puzzling tough times of life.