Things God does to get our attention

God does intervene in our lives in mysterious and wonderful ways. So often we forget this. I have known from the beginning of my ordeal that I was not alone. God was with me. He felt the hurt I was going through and I knew he would help me. But sometimes it's easy to lose faith ... and lose sight of that simple truth.
I awoke this morning feeling pretty lousy. Tori was the first thing I thought about when I sat up in bed. Even before I looked at the clock or swung my feet over the edge of the bed, I was already thinking about her and missing her. It's that way often. And unfortunately, that sets the tone for the whole day. So that's how today started.
I got up and about, got some coffee going and sat down to read the Sunday newspaper. Hmmmm .... I never did get around to opening Saturday's Observer, so I'll just thumb through it real quick to make sure I didn't miss anything.
There in Saturday's religion section, is a column by Lyn Hinton. Ms. Hinton is a minister and writes on issues of faith and family. Her topic this time was on "forgiveness." Specifically, forgiveness related to marriage and infidelity. As I read her gentle words of hope and faith, I could feel a quiet calm oozing through my spirit. It was as if a divine hand led me to open the paper to that page and read those words. I felt the lump in my throat and said a quiet prayer of thanks. I cut the article out, highlighted the parts which hit home to me, and stuck in on my already cluttered refrigerator. To read and re-read over the days and weeks to come.
Pretty cool, eh? It gets better. So I then skip over to the comics section to catch up on my faves ..... while I'm there I always read Billy Graham's column as well.
Surprise ... the topic this day? A man wrote Dr. Graham because his wife had left him for another man (he even mentioned the cause as financial problems ... hello) and he was at a low point and feeling like a complete failure. Now my eyes were misting over and the lump had come back with a vengeance. I read Dr. Graham's response ... full of hope and support and reassurance that this man had not forsaken his wedding vows .... so he was not a failure! God loved him and knew his pain and wanted to walk with him through it and help him overcome it.
Wow!!! Unbelievable. Two things in one day .. in one issue of the newspaper.... which spoke directly to my pain and my particular problems. (Sound familiar, Steve M.?) =)
Does that mean the pain and depression just instantly lifted and the sun came out? Of course not. But it has refreshed and restored my soul today in an amazing way. I feel a peace today which I haven't felt in a while. I don't know how long it will last .. but if I continue to trust God to help me ..... and continue to re-read these articles ... yes, I put Dr. Graham's on the fridge too ..... then I can sense that the battle may be won in due time. In due time being the operative phrase.
God has his own time and his own agenda ... we're partners with him and we do it together. I hope the reminders keep coming in like they did today. I needed it greatly.
The pain is real .... but God is more real ..... and hopefully, with a little help, eventually the forgiveness and fullfillment will be real as well!!!!
Peace