Warm Hugs

The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.  Deuteronomy 32:4

At this moment one of my aunts is being taken in for open heart surgery.  She is having a valved replaced.  I have been praying a lot for her, mostly that God's perfect will be accomplished in and through her and that the enemy not be allowed to steal even one breath of life from her early; that her days and breaths be only what God has ordained them to be. 

My aunt is a Christian, is a widow (has been for many years), has nine children and I do not know how many grandchildren.  Because of this I know she is in the Father's hands and am not worried.  I know He will do what is very best for her, her family and us - the others that love her dearly.

I have a choice to make daily. Will I draw closer to my heavenly Father or become angry and distant?  My aunt's surgery and frail health could easily make me question and become angry.  I have learned from experience what that does in my life. 
Last evening God brought this to my attention in a very sweet manner.  I climbed into bed and, as is my habit, snuggled up against my husband.  He asked, "Are you warm enough?"  I answered, "As long as I am next to you, but if I move away I get cold."  It immediately hit me and so I shared with him that this is but another reason God compares our relationship with Him to marriage.  As long as we stay close to the Father we remain content, warm and secure.  When we move away we become cold, cynical and insecure.  He chuckled and hugged me closer.  I could imagine the Father doing the same to me, because I understood the message. 

I love hugs!!  They are the best expression of love to me.  I received a Mother's Day card from my grandkids (they know me well) that said, "You know what I like about Grandma hugs?  Free refills whenever I want!"  Amen to that!!  They can have as many as they want and more!!  Father God gives us hugs too.  When I grasp a message like this I can feel Him draw me close and wrap His loving arms around me with a smile.  Yes, I have had many heartaches watching people I love dearly pass on before me, grandparents, best friends, aunts, uncles, a brother, cousins, parents, etc. but each time God has sent His hugs to make it bearable. 

As my sweet aunt is sleeping through this surgery that will take several hours to accomplish, I pray God wraps her in his hugs and gives her peaceful dreams full of wonderful, vivid, colorful pictures that bring her great joy.  Then when she wakens she will be able to smile through the pain of recovery.

I don't know all the whys we have to go through different painful events in this life, but I do know we do not go through them in vain.  God will use each and every event in our lives to bring about something good and miraculous somewhere, even though we may not get to witness it in this life.  
One day I will be totally unencumbered with sin and be able to see the entire picture of why things happened in my life as they did.  Then I will look, see and say, "OH! That's why!  It was well worth it!!"