Our one-hundred-fifty-year-old farmhouse had withstood decades of rain, snow, wind, and sun, but it was no match for an electrical malfunction one frigid January evening. We had the clothes on our backs, the slippers on our feet, and the family all safe. The house, however, was another story.
The aftermath of our fire devastated us. Our home was a soggy, frozen mess. Plywood boards covered the once beautiful but now broken windows, the roof sagged pathetically over the family room, and black charred walls showed evidence of the firefighters’ battle. Our home, furniture, clothing, and toys were burned or ruined. Our routine was broken. Nothing was in its regular place. The slightest smell of smoke sent me into tears and panic mode. Daily, I just did the next thing as I attempted to reestablish normal.
The insurance company provided a mobile home for us to live in. A skillful truck driver maneuvered it into a lot next to our old house. We wearily moved in a mishmash of borrowed items. Meanwhile, snow melted into gigantic puddles everywhere. Our yard was a soggy mess, and the space around the trailer looked like a moat.
As I searched God’s Word for comfort and courage, phrases from Isaiah soaked into my weary soul. God walked us through a fire without being burned. He was with us as we splashed through water day after day. How reassuring to find words to set my mind on. I read them repeatedly as my thoughts shifted from fear to assurance. God had been and would continue to care for our family.
Are you worn down by circumstances that consume your every thought? Does fear shadow your days? Don’t fear. God has redeemed you and will be with you.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and phmaxiestevez.)
Roxy Wiley retired from teaching elementary school after twenty-five years and then served as the director of women’s ministry at her church. Throughout both careers, she designed and wrote many newsletters, handbooks, manuals, and articles. A proud and loving grandma of five grandchildren, she’s passionate about her family’s yearly Camp Grandma and coaching other grandparents to launch their own brand of family fun. Roxy and her husband live near Indianapolis, IN, and love to travel in their motor home.