Point One is to invite God into the conflict and I have done so by a structured, daily prayer. I don't know about you but I do this in the bathtub and put everything else out of my mind. It does not have to be a check off list-- just a relinquishment list. God, I cannot do anything, I don't know where to turn so I relinquish my cares and concerns to you. That act of faith enables me to have a sprinkling of hope that hearts will melt. Daddy Cooper's favorite verse of song was the third verse of Rescue the Perishing and he would never omit that verse, "Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, feelings lie buried that grace can restore, Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, chords that are broken will vibrate once more."
That is a wonderful song of prayer for Humpty Dumpty.
I have prayed for Julia and Betty and Betty Ann and Catherine and Sara. I am praying that Julia will find something that she can laugh about today, that Betty will find something that she can sing about today, that Betty Ann will be able to wrap her mental arms around her children during these sad days losing Emmy, that Catherine will find something in her reading that is worth the reading and searching, that Sara will have a safe trip to Cape Girardeau on Friday. Then I prayed for Susan--that she will feel a confidence within herself and reach deeper.
Point 2 is Commit to Having patience. It's going to get tough and nobody is going to get what they want out of the situation, so settle in and have some patience.
What I think that Miller is trying to say is that things happen on God's timeschedule and we can't put things on a schedule and call up God. Gideon tried that with the fleece method and it worked for him several times. But we are not Gideon; I do have a Gideon bible but that is as far as it goes.
Patience is hard to sell. We are attuned to the Proverb, "All good things come to them who wait" but, in some of our family situations, as we have learned in pain, sometimes time runs out and there is no way to change anything then. Time heals a lot of things but it does not heal the wish that we had done this or that while we had a chance.
I leave the blog today with a quote from Ralph Marston, "The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen."
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