Our “Propping up” from Sunday to Sunday

Life lessons make us stronger…

The older I get, the more I realize what’s really important. I often think about my choices over the years and, for the most part, I’m grateful for the results. I can’t help but wonder, however, how things would have turned out … if I had been in control instead of God!

There is such a peace to be able to look at mistakes and see growth, to look at pain and see progress. Surely there are some events in life that will always hurt no matter how old we get and no matter how we try to find a purpose for that pain. But if we believe that God is the God of everything, that he walks beside us through everything, how can we not see a glimpse of light at the end of every tunnel in life, even when that tunnel feels endless?

When I think of our free will and and ability to make choices, I think of a stove’s electric burner. When it’s hot, you tell your child not to touch it because he’ll get burned. But your child sees the beautiful red color, wants to touch it, and when he does, you hear a blood-curdling cry. You comfort him, kiss away his hurt, with no spanking or yelling. You simply love him and hope he’ll listen to you the next time you tell him not to do something that you know will hurt him. That’s our free will in action, and that’s our God to the rescue!

About the author: Previously the priest at St. Francis of Assisi in Lake Placid for 21 years, Rev. Elizabeth L. Nelson is now the Priest at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in LaBelle.