August 18, 2020 – Daily Devotional
Lorna Cunningham and I have been friends since our family first moved from Houston to Oklahoma. I met her at St Luke’s in the Circles Sunday School Class. At that time Lorna’s son Ryan was in school at Heritage Hall with Kelly and Paul and Lorna was a substitute teacher. I had just started a new job and Lorna graciously offered to let Kelly and Paul come home with her after school most days until I got off work. I always teased her about being one of their “other mothers!” We all know that it takes a village to raise a child. The kindness of their whole family towards us as we were settling in was a gift beyond measure, one I will always treasure. Kelly and Paul are both still close to Lorna to this day!
Celebrating birthdays is something Lorna loves, and she had been invited to share her birthday this year with a friend at her home in Colorado. She was looking forward to Girl Time in the mountains. Lorna called me about a week before her birthday to tell me that they had a friend who had died from Covid-19 that week and that one of her best friends from church had just been diagnosed with it, as well as several others in their family.
Lorna made the thoughtful and painful decision to postpone her trip. She was disappointed and sad, but as we talked through her decision, she was finally able to laugh and talked about being grateful she could go another time. She told me about two notes she has taped to her mirror that remind her every day to trust in God’s timing. I asked her to send me a picture of her notes.
One simply says: Lorna, I heard your prayer. Trust my timing. GOD
The second one says:
Happy Moments: PRAISE GOD
Difficult Moments: SEEK GOD
Quiet Moments: WORSHIP GOD
Painful Moments: TRUST GOD
Our friend from church eventually ended up in the ICU on a ventilator for 6 days. Thankfully, she is improving daily and her other family members are much better now. That close personal connection of their family to so many of ours has been very unsettling and has certainly reminded us to treasure each day.
Psalm 27:14 says “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
I was reminded of this verse as Bob and I recently made the thoughtful and painful decision to postpone our trip to visit Paul and his family in Oregon for the second time. Tears filled my eyes when we called, and it was difficult to even say the words. Waiting is one of the most difficult things we do. Maybe I need copies of Lorna’s notes on my mirror!
I am choosing to be grateful for our family every day, trusting in God’s timing. Until then, I am joyfully recalling sweet memories of fun times together and looking for creative ways to help us stay connected from a distance!
-Marsha Long, Director of Hospitality Ministry
