A few weeks ago when we were in the midst of the fiery trial of being broken into multiple times, the idea of getting to today, 27th September, was just so remote. It was a date in the far distant future and would take an age to arrive. That was the extent of fear and anxiety I felt. In looking back, it is clear that some really good stuff has come out of the burglaries we’ve had. Overall, the thieves got two TVs out of us. Unfortunately, our tenant, Morgan, had far greater loss for which she was not insured. That will always be a difficult pill for me to swallow. But, as God is our Protector and Provider, so He is Morgan’s. He will take care of her.
So I figure there are (at least) 5 good things that came from our burglaries.
- Even though we felt we were walking in fear, God was with us. Even though we didn’t necessarily feel His presence and peace descend upon our home and frazzled hearts, it didn’t mean He wasn’t there. Even though these intrusions seemed relentless and people even said things like “who have you offended?” and “God is warning you of something!” I knew in my heart that God’s love for us was not dulled. This was not a penalty for sin. He was not disciplining us for anything. This was the outcome of a sinful world. We happened to be in the way. I think the best thing that has come out of this time is we saw the hand of God, the fingerprints of God during the storm. When I found myself saying “it just so happened” it really meant, “God intervened.” And in times like this, you really want God’s intervention, even if you don’t recognise it as such at the time. Jesus is with us and He is God.
- Mike and I drew closer. After 31 years of marriage, you would think we were pretty close already and you would be right. But when you feel your life is threatened and there is fear and anxiety, things could go either way in a relationship. It could divide you or it could unite you. Mike’s biggest concern was for my safety. He did absolutely anything and everything he could to reduce my fear and provide more security both physically and emotionally. We worked together, riding out the storm, united in trying to find and in implementing solutions. We prayed together, we lay in bed awake in all hours of the night listening together, we found ourselves on a mission to conquer this evil together. It was a different level of closeness created by hardship.
- We secured the house. We have implemented security at our house that will benefit both us and future tenants or owners. It has added to the value of the house and the security of all who live in it. We feel better leaving David staying here while we are away knowing that he will be safe.
- We got to know some wonderful people through all this. The Sun Valley neighbourhood watch has been nothing less than fantastic. They are on a mission to reduce crime in this neck of the woods and really have got a great bunch of people involved. We have been crazy in not joining the neighbourhood watch, but it’s one of the things we will be doing on our return from our holiday. We’ve also met more of the neighbours. We now know them by name and it’s been a great starting point of conversation and connection.
- We lost weight! Suddenly, it wasn’t hard to shed a kilo or two. Nervous tension, heart pounding nights, rushes of adrenaline all seem to ramp up the body’s metabolism and reduce the appetite. Hey, I’m not going to argue with this useful side effect!
And so now we are on the eve of leaving for our Italian Adventure!
8 nights in Italy followed by a 24 night cruise back to South Africa, our thought process and attention is swiftly moving from hardship to holiday and it feels good. The Lord knew the timing of all this. I’m so glad we can trust Him. Treasure from Isaiah this morning:
Isaiah 52:12
You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the LORD will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind.
Before and behind – God is there.
#430 of my 1000 thanks…yesterday it was a year since my brother Julian had a stent put in for a blocked coronary artery. I’m so grateful for 365 days of good health for him. He joins us for the first part of our trip. #Excited!
These are the days!
Keep the smile going!
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂