Looking for the Light

March 22nd was a difficult day for me. A couple of days before, my computer crashed. I lost all my files – writing, pictures, all of it. I am still hopeful it can be recovered, but I don’t know. The next day my phone quit working. It was an old phone, so I think it died of natural causes. On March 22nd, our car was diagnosed with an illness that could be cured but only for a whole lot of money. And finally, my son woke up sick.

 

Not a good day.

 

John and I have been praying and we’ve made a decision to do something that is exciting and scary in the realm of ministry. We knew all this happening at once was an attack from the enemy. It hurt but we told each other to keep our heads up, praying.

 

On Facebook, I asked for prayer and Diane Shaw, a wonderful writer and friend, commented that she had written a blog about the times when we feel darkness surrounding us. Her blog is titled "Light in the Darkness." http://needmorewordscs.blogspot.com/2011/03/light-in-darkness.html One line from that article hit me: “When it appears that darkness is total, open your eyes, observe the pin pricks of light that God has sent your way.”

 

I determined to look for those “pin pricks.” Once I began looking, I found myself awash in the light of the Lord. His hope and encouragement bathed me in the sunshine of my friends.

 

Here’s some of what happened:

 

• After my prayer request on Facebook, I was given lots of encouraging words through Facebook comments and emails.
• My friend Kay called me and made me laugh. A joyful light came over me through the phone.
• I checked my email and found two acceptances to little stories I’d written from a local magazine/newspaper. God knew I needed this.
• His Word talked to me. I read Nehemiah 1:11 and saw that Nehemiah unashamedly asked for favor from God. This prompted me to have a wonderful time of pouring my heart out to God.
• A Facebook buddy of mine, Darryl, asked me about my car and gave me advice about it. So kind and a generous offering of God’s light.
• In the afternoon, I was watching TV and looked through the Guide and saw that “The Waltons” was back on Hallmark. This may be silly to you, but to me it was a gift from Jesus. I LOVE that show and watching it made me happy.
• John and I have some friends, the Vineyards, who are wonderful. Michelle called me and then she and Aaron came over that night, bringing us dinner from Olive Garden and praying for us. Their sweet ministering overwhelmed me with His light.

 

The “pin pricks” Diane wrote about became so real to me. Each of those little lights gave John and me courage. We weren’t in despair – no one was in the hospital and we weren’t in the middle of a tsunami. But we were attacked and it hurt.

 

What a gift Diane gave me through her words and advice to look for God’s light. I did and I almost got sunburned with friendship. If you are having a bad day or a horrible day, look for the pin pricks of light that God is waiting to shine on your darkness.