AND THEN...
So I was trudging up the stairs at school one day this week thinking, "Wow, all that weight lifting I've been doing must be working. My bag feels really light." AND THEN I arrived in my classroom and opened my bag only to discover that my computer & my lesson plan book weren't in it. In fact I had none of the things I had so diligently prepared. I confess I almost resorted to my default position which would have been frustration and much self-deprecationg. AND THEN I saw my guitar. So I picked it up, strummed a few chords and began to sing, "Be still and know..." That led me to open my Bible and pore over Psalm 46...It's a great Psalm for those "AND THEN" moments in my life. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. (Trust me. Trying to teach high school without your prepared materials qualifies.) In Hebrew the words translated "very present" also carry the sense that He is a tried and proven help.
Tried, proven, and fully present - that's the kind of Helper I want for those "AND THEN" moments in my life - small irritations like forgetting my computer are the training ground for those bigger "AND THEN" moments like losing my mom in a house fire. AND THEN I learn to be still and know that God is a very present help.