Unseen

Two years ago on this day, I sit beside my husband’s bed in the ICU. Two stents newly inserted into one of his arteries. Blood now flowing freely through his heart. In a place formerly 100-percent blocked.

Only hours before, we walk. Drive. Talk. Laugh. Following everyday routines. Ordinary schedules.

Not knowing danger lurks.

Oblivious to unseen, unnoticed blockage wreaking havoc. Beneath the surface. Under skin and flesh and vessel.

Unseen

After the heart attack, I find myself catching my breath. 

For days. Weeks. Months. 

Low on creative thought. Unable to write. Mind blank. Heart still.

Just doing the next thing. And the next. 

While unseen numbness ensues. 

Beneath the surface.

Out of nowhere

It is one thing piled on another and another that year. 

Sudden crises and heartache coming out of nowhere, seems like. From different directions.

The kind of year that stops you in your tracks. Figuratively and literally. 

Shock—in the midst of everyday life—shadows and stills expression. 

Which way is up or over? How do I walk this road? Where are we going in this season? 

Is it just a season?

Necessary

“Pressed on every side but not crushed,” Paul says. 

And there is a form of crushing. The kind assuring that I cannot depend on my clay jar strength or understanding.

So, I turn to the necessary constant through it all. Abiding in Christ. 

Taking slow walks in His Word. Repeating what is certain and true. 

Praying always. With words. And silence. Holding fast to the unseen One who holds me fast.

Remaining in His Body of believers. Brothers and sisters who come alongside and pray. Speaking courage. 

Always

The Potter forms these earthen vessels. There is comfort in this truth. He knows what we are made of.

He keeps us steady on the potter’s wheel as we’re turned,  shaped in His hands.

And when the world seems to stop or veer in unexpected directions, He still holds us. 

Always faithful. Always present.

Always.

“But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
    we are the clay, and you are our potter;
    we are all the work of your hand.”
Isaiah 64:8 ESV

What about you?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by a sudden turn of events or the suffering of a loved one? How did the Lord hold and shape you there?

Related

Father’s Day – Give thanks – Exiles – Unfolding year – Unexpected altar – Unexpected surrender – Refining – Clay jar and the Potter – Earthen vessel – Broken bowl and the Potter – Compassionate – God’s inner work –

2 Corinthians 4:5-18 – Isaiah 64:8 –