As I pondered the anxious words of a grandmother regarding her precious little granddaughter's impending surgery and the fact that she would have to do without food for so long, a little picture flashed before me that had the word strength all in it - the kind of strength imparted to us humans by our Creator. My heart was so touched, for I had come to love the little one so much, also.

Since her grandchild had had trouble from the beginning with some serious health problems, this little picture that came to mind assured me of how great a strength the Lord built into us when He created us.

The scene was of a little plant that had sprung forth at a hard time. The seed had been dented. That caused the little plant to be a little bit crooked and off center as it sprang forth from the soil. However, as it grew, it got straighter and stronger till finally even the irregularity became a part of its unique beauty as it grew and bloomed on and on. This little picture, which surprised my mind and heart with its encouragement. It made me realize that the young, whether a plant, animal or human, are incredibly strong in many ways and given a little extra care can grow to the point that hardly any difference can be told between itself and others after a long struggle. The special trials sets them apart as very, very special wonderful unique entities.

I therefore prayed for the Lord to pour into that little body special strength throughout the surgery and recovery. The child had had the best of care and was nourished with the best foods. The cells in that small body had stored reserves to protect it, if food supply got low. Of course there would be hunger and discomfort, but the body had marvelous mechanisms that would kick in and say we have to give up some reserves here to provide some strength.

All of us go through a fast every night as the little one's body was accustomed to doing, also. So as I continued to ponder the mind picture, I thought that when we count the time without food, from the time we usually eat to the time we can next eat, then it does not seem near as long and severe as counting the whole night with it. This encouraged me to think of this for all of us having tests or surgery, not just the little ones.

The Lord gives us many ways to look at life. He gives us choices about whether we will dwell on the negative or positive in all situations. His advice to us is found in I Thessalonians 5:18 that instructs us to be thankful in all situations. All of these thoughts taught me again that looking at the positive possibilities and backing it up with much prayer does the most good for us. There is plenty of time to consider all that can go wrong, if and when that ever happens.

I believe the Lord gave me these thoughts to simply say, "Always look on the bright side." My wise and dear uncle used to tell us not to worry about what bad could happen. He said most of the things we worry about never happen and that more often, challenges just suddenly present themselves for us to handle, and that would be time enough to use in concern for those things.

I pray that the Lord will remind me often, and that He will speak to all of us, to encourage us to really take a look at all the strength and helps our Lord has provided for us in all situations. When He created us, He gave us abilities and ways to help ourselves and others that much of the time go untapped. Let us search for those blessings and use them. Ask and we shall receive! Praise Him and thank Him for the way we are made - in His image and having been given His Spirit to walk alongside us once we have accepted His Only Son as our Saviour and Lord! What a wonderful, wonderful thing it is to be in the presence of the only and true Living God and to belong to Him!

© Marjorie Castleberry 2007

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