It has been a long road for my mom and her vision. A long and fearful road of not knowing. A road of loss of vision and an unsteadiness in her movements now. She no longer can really do things on her own, liking shopping and walking long distance. She holds on to someone, and she has learned to ask for help. I know this has been hard for my mom. It has been hard for me watching her grow older.Yesterday while sitting in the eye specialists office we chatted, we really had a enjoyable time together. It was one of our best days. I know my mom was fearful sitting waiting to see what her tests were going to show. But yesterday as I looked at her test results we saw healing. We saw her eye is getting better. We saw she has a long way to go, but she is getting there. Her eye has improved 40%, so she still has a good 60% to go, but inch by inch she is getting there.
Our lives are like too. Sitting and waiting, wondering what is next, hoping for the best. Although we may not be able to see, like my mother's eye, God can see everything clearly. He needs no vision check up.
But healing takes time. Yes, there have been those who have been healed by miracles right before other's eyes, but for my mom it has been a process. My mom has learned more patience, she has learned to trust God more, and she has learned she doesn't have to be strong, God will do that through her.
Yesterday the doctor had to give her two injections in her eye. I had to turn away. For this mercy, it kills me to think of others hurting. The doctor had numbed her eye first, but she still knew he was there. Our lives can be like this too. We might feel numb, we might feel we cannot see, but we know He is there. We know, like these injections of medication, He is filling us with His strength and grace.
We want healing right now. We want things to work out right now. But it is through that waiting, through that trusting, through that time of taking one small step at time that we can look back and see that God has been with us the whole time. To us our steps might seem small, but in God's eye's they are huge and mighty steps if we are letting go and believing in Him.
As this other 60% of healing comes, it may come a little faster, or even slower, but we are learning no matter the pace, Jesus is taking each step with us. We might be able to measure my mom's eye sight, but when it comes to God there is no measurement out of His hands. He can do all. There is nothing to big for Him. From beginning to end He is there with us. Not just for a portion of the time, but for the whole journey.
Once at church for a car race we have each year in Awana, I made my wooden car a pencil, not just any pencil, but a carpenter's pencil. On my pencil I have written, "Son of a carpenter, King of kings, He's the builder of all things." In Revelation 19:16 it tells us He is King of kings. In Mark 6:3, it tells us He is the Son of a carpenter, and in Genesis 1:1 it tells us He is Creator. I have this pencil sitting in front of me as a reminder that God will bring all things together in His time, with His hands and His love.
As Jesus' earthly father was a carpenter I am sure Jesus learned all about measurements, all about working with His hands, and tools. He must have witnessed His father making beautiful things. Creating things with his hands, with love and over time. In watching His father work I am sure He witnessed His father working long hours with his hands to bring pieces together.
With each measure of time we can look back and mark those times that were hard, those times of joy, and those times of struggle that brought change. We all have those moments in our lives that are marked with something. But is those very markings that bring our lives together, and show that Jesus was there every inch of the way.
Some think that success is measured in big amounts, but we can find real success in those little steps taken to find our way closer to Jesus.
