“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will not fear … for You are with me.” – Psalm 23:4
Recently total and complete strangers have come, uninvited by hubby and me, to use our home as their free Air B&B for their vacation.
Once this set of houseguests leave, a few days later a second set of (uninvited) houseguests will be arriving to use our home for their vacation.
Needless to say, I have had a lot of turmoil and anxiety over this drama occurring in my home.
I went out to the garden to pick some beans. I had just stepped into the garden and was about to pick the first handful of beans when my phone rang. It was a call of “the valley of the shadow of death” … literally.
Our very dear friend, Lloyd had passed away. His son, David, was calling to let me know.
My heart was overcome with sadness, and I fought against the tears which threatened to spill over.
I sat down on the edge of the garden as David shared with me the events of his father’s passing. His father had just turned 99 yrs. old a few weeks prior. They had had a big birthday celebration, but shortly thereafter his father had taken a turn for the worse and had been admitted to the hospital.
After a short stay in the hospital, it was decided that his father should go to the hospice unit. David was with his father as they wheeled his father out of the hospital room and onto the elevator, for the short trip down to the hospice unit. He told his father he would see him down there in his new room.
His father never made it. On the elevator-ride down, his father left this earth and went to Heaven to be with Jesus.
David shared with me how God had showed up to be with him in a very special way at the time of his father’s passing.
David’s parents had lived for many years over on the Olympic Peninsula, in the small community of Port Townsend. Their house had been high on a bluff overlooking Admiralty Inlet. For all the many years they had lived there, there had always been lots of deer browsing through his parents’ yard … forever eating his parents’ flowers and plants.
David shared with me that when the funeral home came to pick up his father’s body, shortly after his father’s passing, he was standing out in the parking lot as his father was about to be taken away. David turned around … and there behind him, right next to the parking lot … were two deer.
In that instant it was as if God was saying to him: “It’s ok. I’m here! I’m with you! Your father is with me now.”
It was a very special gift from God especially for David.
As David was sharing this story with me, about God’s special gift of comfort to him in his time of sorrow … at that very moment I looked down and there at my feet I noticed for the very first time a little melon growing!
You can see it here …
And in that instant, I heard God clearly speak to my soul: “It’s ok. I’m right here! I’m with you! Don’t be afraid.”
What this melon represents is all my doubt! I have highly doubted the melon vines would produce any melons at all.
We tried to grow melons last year … with no success. This year the melon vines have actually grown … spreading out in all directions. They have set on lots of little blossoms. But I have 100% doubted that they would actually produce a melon.
And here … just days before uninvited strangers show up to vacation in my home … when I’m overwhelmed with anxiety and fear! … here, as I’m sitting on the edge of the garden hearing about the literal “valley of the shadow of death” … here is God telling me: “Don’t doubt!”
Here was a melon! The melon vines actually produced a melon!
Not only that … this little cantaloupe wasn’t the only one. There were two little cantaloupes! And right away I went to check … and lo and behold! … there were three little watermelons!!
God was telling me: “Don’t doubt! Don’t be afraid! I am here! I am with you!”
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will not fear … for You are with me.” – Psalm 23:4
God was there for David … in the time of his deepest sorrow. God was there! … in the literal valley of the shadow of death.
And God is right here with me too … in my figurative “valley of the shadow of death” of having my home (which is supposed to be my “safe place”) turned into a revolving door of vacationing strangers.
God is here! … right here! … He is with me!
