When I was in Middle School, my father bought a mini-farm. It was a plot of about 7 acres on the Little River just outside of Knoxville. It had a little farmhouse, a garage that also pretended to be a small barn, a smokehouse and a boat dock. It was a place where boys could grow up, get some bumps and bruises from hard work, learn about planting and harvesting a garden, about the circle of life, and about God’s blessings. Where a kid could eat a cherry right from the tree, catch a catfish, pick a salad of bibb lettuce, green onions and a tomato. I started growing some calluses (in the form of blisters) from using a shovel. My dad gave me a task with our new land. The smokehouse had to come down, it was falling apart and was an eyesore. So, I was given a crowbar. I started pulling boards off the little dilapidated shack that no longer smoked meat. This promised to be a fun exercise for a kid who loved to build with blocks then knock them down. As I was pulling down a board, I hit a wasp nest. They came flying out… mad as hornets. As I ran away one landed on my arm. I was paralyzed in anticipation of the pain that was coming. It felt like I was in slow motion. I couldn’t even swipe it off my arm. I watched as that wasp sat down on my arm, stinger first. My eyes welled up with tears and blurred out what happened next as that little devil stung the fool out of me. My mother saw what happened and came to check on me. She brought a wet cloth and consoled me. This was the first of bites, stings, and bruises that I would experience on this new-to-us mini-farm. That would do it for the demo until Dad could dispatch the angry wasps and help me complete the task. I went to sit on the dock and watch the slow roll of the lazy river, the occasional fish jump, feel the embrace of the large trees and rolling green hills around me, and feel the cool breeze as my arm throbbed. After several minutes, I was throwing rocks into the water and looking for a worm to fish with. I’m thankful for parents who let me try things, and get bee stings, but also that they were there offering compassion and help when challenges beyond my capacity came.
The prophet Isaiah tells God’s people that they will have hardships, but that God will comfort them and see them through. He tells them: “For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.”(Isaiah 66:12–14) The Bible doesn’t say God won’t give us more than we can handle, but that He will be with us through those challenges. If we never face a difficulty that is bigger than us, what need would we have for God? God does let us endure hardships to grow us in maturity and enrich our relationship with Him. He sees us, He hears us, He is glad to be with us, He loves us, and He wants to do good things for us. (Jim Wilder) We can trust His love for us even through wasp stings and other things.
Hang in there people! God is Glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all!
