A Blanket-Bomb Ambush

Turn on your imagination and join me on a walk.

The day is crisp and clear. An occasional puffy cloud is scattered on a blue sky. The woods path is wide and mostly shaded. An earthy smell blows in the gentle breeze. Ferns and bushes dot the landscape under the tall oaks and evergreen pine trees. Birds chirping and frogs croaking are heard in the distance. And yes, a few pesky gnats fly in your face sporadically and the path offers a few muddy spots. But no big deal, you easily maneuver down the path.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a heavy, damp burlap blanket drops from the sky and lands on your back. 

You try to shed it, but no luck. Instead, it becomes heavier and the moldy odor assaults your nose. Now hunched over from the cumbersome load, you have to watch your footing even more closely. 

You slow to a snail's pace and wonder how far you can go with this burden on your back. So you try to distract yourself and try to find the beauty of the sky, or the sweet melody of the birds, or the peace of the landscape, but to no avail. All you see is your shoes trudging along the dirty path while the itchy blanket weighs you down. You miss the carefree walk of before, even the pesky gnats and muddy spots would be welcomed right now.

So what happened? Good question.

The "walk" is your life. The "path experience" is the life you've carved for yourself. It's not perfect. Every life has pesky everyday gnats and muddy spots. The "burlap blanket" is those unforeseen times when life sucker punches you in the gut leaving you feeling oppressed and hopeless.

That is exactly what happened this past week to someone in my life. One minute walking the path fine and the next hunkered underneath a burden-filled blanket. Shocked. Afraid. And feeling hopeless.

We've all been there. You know, one of those times when life threw a curve ball or pulled the rug out from under you. We each probably have a mental way of seeing or feeling these terrible times. You just read the image I had in my head this past week—a heavy, damp burlap blanket-bomb burdened the backs of my dear one's family.

Of course, we prayed for God to rescue the person, the situation, and restore life to normal. And yes, we questioned why it happened at all. We agonized how to resolve the situation. We lamented over the time being wasted over finding a solution.

But this I know. Whoever or whatever brought this evil blanket into our lives is smaller than my God. And if my God allowed this to fall into our path, then He has a reason or a lesson for us to learn. 

Whatever the outcome, I know God will be there too—even if we are upset by the results.  How do I know this? Because He's always been faithful in the past and He does not change. He's not about to abandon us in our time of need. So I prayed for His perfect will in this situation and trusted Him to the outcome.

It may have only been forty-eight hours of burden, but it felt like a month. We huddled up and made a plan. We prayed and executed the plan. And within a few short hours, the blanket-burden lifted and a clear path returned. Mere words cannot convey the freedom we felt. Once again, my Mighty God stepped in and delivered as only He can. Perfectly and completely. Way to go, God!

So today, the pesky gnats and muddy spots seem less bothersome, even welcomed. We've lived through the heavy burden once again and are better equipped the next time the sky opens and drops a blanket-bomb. In the meanwhile, I'm determined to have everblooming hope. Because in Him, I always will.

To God be the glory!

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