“Oma has a walking stick!”
The announcement by my grandson, not quite three years old at the time, stated the obvious. Not a random branch found where it fell from a tree, but a designed and carved wooden staff made special because it was given to me by my son. It still serves a necessary purpose. On unlevel ground, it keeps me balanced as I walk.
As my physical body ages, my need for assistance in strength, stability, and endurance increases. My afflictions are not severe, but they do restrict me in some ways. As time passes, these will continue to worsen. Mentally and emotionally, I find that my own thoughts attack me and cause me stress and shame. But my spiritual need is the greatest since I can do nothing to save myself.
Therefore, I am grateful for my neediness and affliction—conditions that let me know God remembers me. He remembered that I desperately needed a Savior. He sent his Son, Jesus, to bear the punishment for my sin. He suffered death on a cross so that I could experience forgiveness. The Holy Spirit reminds me to carry my sins, shortcomings, and hurts to the foot of that cross in my prayers. In leaning on that cross, I find freedom, stability, and assurance of eternity in heaven.
Put your trust in Jesus and lean on him as you walk.
Anita van der Elst finds joy in creating with words, believing God gifted her with the desire to do so. Married to her best friend, Edward, since 1976, she is a proud mom of four adult children and Oma to three of the most delightful grandchildren ever. Other joys in her life include bringing beauty to Facebook through photos she takes on her iPhone, exploring the state parks in the PNW, facilitating a small group of women, and participating in a Bible study.
I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
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