Some
days are hard.
I
know we all struggle, but sometimes I feel like I struggle more than
most. Sometimes there is just so much bad that it's hard to see the
good. I'll admit it's been hard for me to see the bright side
lately... car troubles that I can't afford to fix, stress, anxiety,
anger from being constantly stressed and anxious, negativity from
everyone around me, some health problems, and just general constant
worry about how I'm going to make it through and keep my head above
water.
The
day before yesterday was like that. The official "First Day of
Spring" arrived with 15 centimeters of snow and an ice storm to
beat the band. I got stuck just trying to get home from work. My car
isn't the most reliable to begin with, and armed with only
"baloney-skins", which is what we call worn-out tires in
Newfoundland, I floundered at the bottom of a hill. Trucks, jeeps,
vans, and even little sports cars zoomed past me while I slipped and
skidded, backed up, gunned her forward, slithered and slid, backed
up, pressed on the gas and slid further backwards... the slushy
ground was full of skid marks from trying to avoid the ditch.
Kind
of like my life at this point.... sitting on black ice while the rest
of the world is driving with studded tires.
To
make a long story short, a generous stranger in a pickup stopped and
offered to tow me up the hill... with a good set of chains and
another gentleman lending salt, he deposited me at my front door in
no time. But needless to say, I was worn out. Sick of winter, sick of
fighting, sick of pretty much everything.
I
practically crawled into my bedroom, too tired to even attempt to
make dinner. I idly logged into my Compassion account, mainly to
check and see if I had received any letters from my kids. But I
stopped abruptly when I saw a little face that hadn't been there
before.
And
then I saw her name... and I burst into tears.
Gifty.
My
own precious little Ugandan princess... my little angel sent as a
sign of His grace.
My
Perfect Gift from God.
She
is six years old and lives in Northern Uganda... a place filled with
hardships and suffering, with war and turmoil and terror and disease
and poverty. And somehow, in a place where children are often thrown
away, the Grace of God was enough to let a Ugandan mother name her
child Gifty.
And
somehow, God saw fit to "gift" this little warrior to me,
on the very day that I so needed a Gift of mercy. God in His
lovingkindness never fails.
Welcome
to the family Gifty... I love you so much already!
And
in closing, I quote these lyrics by John Schlitt:
"It's
a blessing every day I get to see her face;
I
could never ever ask for more than this,
She
is such a gift.
Lord,
thank you for the Gift."
