Friday, August 31, 2007

A Hand of Cards

(Thank-you! Thank-you one and all for your love and your prayers!! You are everyone so appreciated – your comments (Lovella, Grace, James, Sara, Elsie, ‘Monkey Giggles, Jill, Vicki) are as touching and comforting as floral bouquets!!
I send you each a virtual ‘hug’ (those kinds don’t hurt!!- smile)
I slept quite well the last two nights, which is a miracle, and rest always helps so the pain is somewhat less. I still have not received authorization, so am still ‘patiently’ waiting. )

A Hand of Cards

One day early on in our dating I was in the car with Vic.
An airplane caught our attention and I, impulsively, told Vic about a childhood memory.

Up until the summer before I started school, Mom was a great believer in after lunch naps.
I really don’t know how I stumbled across this very scientific method of weather forecast, but when I awoke from my nap, I would not immediately open my eyes.
I would wait, and if I heard the pleasant drone of a plane flying over our house, I knew that it was sunny and I could go outside to play. (we lived close to a small airport)

When I finished my little story, I expected Vic to laugh at my silliness but there was only silence. I glanced over to look into his face and saw him struggling with deep emotion. I was puzzled but waited for him to speak.
Finally, he said,
“When I hear an airplane fly overhead, I feel the fear I felt when I was a little boy. When we heard a plane, we had to run and make sure every crack in the windows was covered because if any light escaped the enemy planes would drop a bomb on us.”

I was stunned. How could the same sound stir such totally opposite memory emotions in our hearts. To me a delightful childish fantasy - to him a horror nightmare.

Have you ever thought about how much of who we are is determined totally outside of our control?
We have no influence or choice in such important things as….

Where we are born…..in what country,
When we are born….in what time in history…
To whom we are born…. Our parents…
Into what society we are born,
Where we fit into the birth order of our siblings, if we have any
What we look like, our hair color, our features, our body type, our skin color,
What we will be called …. Our identification
What gifts or talents will set us apart ….
What our basic personality is….
Where and how we will be educated in our childhood years….
What values or principles are modeled before us ,
What religion we are raised to think is true….
Our health… our genetic disposition….
Accidents that happen… that change our life in a second.

I could probably go on, but I’m sure you see my point….many of the most important things in our life we have no power over.

Just as in a card game, where every player must play the game with the cards he has been dealt, so we must play the game of life with the hand of life-cards we are given the day we are born. It is the only hand we will ever have. There is no option of calling for a re-shuffle.
Our life depends on what we do with the hand we have.

But there is a wonderful reprieve from even the worst possible hand.
In a card game a player who may initially groan over his 'bad' cards can still win the game if he holds in his hand one or more ‘trump’ cards. These cards overrule all other cards and can ensure a winning game !!

We also, no matter how bad our life-hand may be, have a trump card.
This trump card is our faith in God.
Faith can move mountains,
Faith can overcome the world,
Faith can turn disaster into triumph, suffering into glory, sorrow into joy, and weakness into strength!!
Joseph learned the power of this ‘trump’ card! He experienced how his trust in God turned even the worst ‘card’ into a ‘winning card' !!
He declared, “You thought evil against me, but God meant it for good!” (Gen. 50:20)

No matter what has been given us, no matter what threatens to destroy, we can play our trump card…. Simply ‘trust’ God and He will make up your lack!! from now until eternity !!
What comfort, what assurance, what security that trump card is in our life.

Sometimes it slips behind one of our other ‘cards’ and we forget we have it. But let’s make sure it is out in the open where we finger that card to play before we play any other….
And ride through life victorious !!!

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world , even our faith !!!!” (I John 5:4)

9 comments:

Carolanne said...

It is so good to know we have that "trump card" which gives us hope no matter what we're going through.

Amen!

Truth said...

I am not a card player, but still love your analogy. I've always been fascinated at how one thing can be such a cherished memory, while in another it invokes pain. And why is it so hard for us to consider this might be the case instead of being so judgemental of others?

Anonymous said...

Great illustration again! It is fascinating to understand what makes people tick. If we keep in mind that we are all playing with a different hand of cards, we should be able to treat everyone with grace and acceptance. And with that trump card in hand, we can all play the game of life triumphantly! Thanks for that thought. Elsie

Lovella ♥ said...

I appreciated this post and also the comments.
Your thought process as a young child is just so interesting. Your memories are fantastic and I love how you incorporate who you are into your devotionals. It makes them so personal.

James Janzen said...

I remember those pre school naps. I hatted them soo much that I threatened to run away from home. Mom said i needed a nap so i was well rested when i ran away. When I woke she took the suitcase down for me to use, but of course the reason to run was no more. Personally i think it was mom who needed the "nap" ( aka peace and quiet without worry of what we were up to. :-) )

Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said...

Oh Julie, I am so glad to read you are doing even a little bit better.
Your post was awesome. It is true, everyone has different things dealt to them, and must trust God for the outcome.
On a more curious note, I thought you MB types weren't allowed to dance or play cards.
Shall I tell on you? (wink)

Julie said...

I pray you are feeling better soon.

Great post.

Demara said...

WOW!!! Julie I think this is the best post of yours that I've read! My heart actually raced with anticipation and excitement as I read thinking as I read that I'm SURE my trump card is that I have God on my side, and then you said it perfectly, "This trump card is our faith in God!" God can and DOES overcome, or overrule any bad card that we've been dealt hey? for He has "overcome the world".

Anonymous said...

Oh, thank you, thank you for the virtual hug. It means a lot to me right now. (I really appreciate your beautiful comments regarding Sharon - they meant so much to me!)

I'm still praying that the pain lessens and that your medication authorization comes through quickly.

As I began reading this post, I thought of my childhood...we also lived near a small municipal airport, and the drone of the planes was a sound I'll always connect with warm and sunny summer days. I loved to lie in the grass and watch the planes and the clouds. It never occurred to me that something so seemingly innocent could be so terrifying to someone else. There is so much wisdom in what you said. I am so thankful God is who He is and that I am His!