Hidden Treasures

"I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." ~Isaiah 45:3~

Today I am not going to focus on illness because, honestly, it gets so tiresome to have to go through so much and then to talk about it causes me to grow even more weary. Besides, I am not my disease. I have other interests in my life and while awareness is extremely important, sometimes you have to take a break from the burden of it all and talk about something else. So today I want to share an experience with you that I had this morning that was profoundly moving to me.

I. love. jewelry. There it is...it's out there. But truth be told, don't most women? I even have three holes in each ear just so I can wear lovely earrings to make my diminutive ears and non-existent earlobes look like they are actually there! I also take care of the jewelry that I have, with some pieces dating back 45 - 50 years. As my 63rd birthday approaches in a couple of weeks (shhhh...don't tell anyone I'm that old!), I am reminded of the lovely little earrings my parents gave me for my 18th birthday. I have no idea whether or not they are valuable...they are just simple, gold studs set with little green stones...but they definitely are a treasure to me because my parents gave them to me. And I have been wearing them, carrying them with me on every move and every trip I have ever made, off and on for 45 years. I put in studs and leave them in my ears, even when going to bed; and I had done that when I arose yesterday to get ready for my weekly IVIG treatment for Myasthenia Gravis, Lupus and Common Variable Immune Deficiency. I didn't feel well from the get-go, but I took a shower and washed my hair anyway. I never even thought about taking the studs out of my ears because, frankly, I have been wearing them so long, I don't notice they are even there...they are like a part of my anatomy!

Well, my hair is long and I wrapped it in a towel to get the excess water out, then proceeded to dry my hair as much as my weakened muscles would permit. I finally gave up on that project and decided to just let my hair dry naturally. *I know this is getting long, but please keep reading...I have a point to all this rambling, I promise!!

Just before the nurse arrived, I saw the back of an earring on the floor mat in the bathroom. My hands quickly reached up to my ears, and to my dismay, I discovered that one of my studs was missing...yes, one of the treasured studs my parents gave me so long ago! I asked Gary to help me look for it, but we ran out of time upon the nurse's arrival, and with the day's treatment and resulting ill effects from it, my poor little green stud was temporarily forgotten.

But you know how the Bible says that God gives us mercies afresh and anew every morning? It's true, and I awakened this morning at about 4:00 a.m. and couldn't sleep. The best thing for me in that situation is to spend time in prayer, get out my Bible and begin to read, asking God to show me a truth that I need for that day. As I was reading scripture, God clearly reminded me of His power and love. In Daniel 20:22, the Bible says this about God:

"It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells in Him." [italics mine]

While that is a scripture I am familiar with, it suddenly became "Remah" to me...a direct, spoken message  to me, coming alive in my heart...and though I wasn't quite sure what God was going to reveal, I knew that this particular message from scripture was spoken to me.

A little while ago, I went to grab the dark brown floor mats and toilet lid cover to throw in the washing machine, and as I was about to remove the lid cover, something caught the light and shimmered in the dark fabric of the lid cover. As I ran my hand across it, I found my precious stud! God knew that even this tiny stud...inconsequential, really, in the whole scheme of the vastness of all things entrusted to His care...was important to me! And He loves me enough to reveal what was hidden in the darkness. It was something I had searched for, but could not find. I don't know about you, but I find that amazing.

I have learned that just when I am feeling small...invisible and invalidated, especially with all things medically related...and begin to worry about all the big stuff happening in my life, God reaches down and whispers, "I'm here, my daughter, I love you." He reminds me through His Word that He hears our cries and answers prayers. When our feet are sinking in miry clay and we feel like we are being sucked under by the weight of it all, He draws us up, sets our feet on solid ground and puts a new song in our mouths (Psalm 40:1). He gives me breath when I have thought I had no more, and walks with me in the darkness until He completes His purpose in me. And I will trust Him to do just that, even when things don't seem to be going my way. As the Martina McBride song says,

"God is great, but sometimes life ain't good. And when I pray, it doesn't always turn out like I think it should--but I do it anyway!"

Because you know what? We are more important than anything to God...we were created in His very image, to have fellowship and communion with Him.

So I will hang on to His promises, which are all true, and I will thank Him for the 63 years He has given me to know Him and to love Him. And on that note, I leave you with this thought:

I am determined to be invincible 'til He has finished His purpose in me! And nothing shall shake me, for He'll never forsake me! I am determined to live for the King!            ~"I am Determined" by Tim Shepherd~

God bless you, I love you...
Kathie Lea