~John 15:16
It’s had been more than a year sense I have seen a woman from my Wednesday night bible study group. She was stricken with ALS more than a year ago, just before our initial introduction. Her husband had brought her to one of our study group’s pot-luck dinners were we were introduced. She was very weak at that time after being in the hospital, doctor’s tests and struggling to understand what was happening to her.
She was very quiet on that occasion, didn’t participate in the meal, really, plus left early because of fatigue. Our group has had regular up-dates on her condition and so we decided to visit her weekly on Sunday as she doesn’t feel she can attend services at the Church because of her health.
On Sunday, I dressed in my Sally-Anne new purple 2 piece suit and waited for my ride to her home to arrive. I and the bible study leader got there about 11:15 and I sat on her comfy couch to take in whatever study the leader had to say. Looking around her beautiful home, I noticed, of course, she had a crystal sphere chandler. It was beautiful hanging there and I tried to imagine what it would look like with the sun light shining thru it. Would it be many prisms or just one appearing on the wall across with all the crystals working together?
Our leader read the scriptures she’d selected, stopping to ask why the lady had decided to give her clothes away. She said she didn’t think she needed those clothes anymore. I told her in the bible it says ‘we are born naked and naked we leave’; she looked at me laughed at that, finding it very funny. There were pots of brightly colored Mums on her porch when we came in and I complimented her on those. It was obvious she loved flowers and had orchids inside in pots.
Our leader talked about how some people are made to suffer with illness, that God said ‘I am the vine and you are the branches. Our strength comes from him.’ I added also that when we are sick, not being able to do much, that God has tried to slow us down, taking more time to talk to him plus he speaks to us more. She got excited about that. She said she had been stricken with a bad back at one time in her life and God had sent a miracle for her, but she never explained what that miracle was… I read her a poem from my book, Graces, about nature and how we connect with it. Its all creation around us all the time ♥
The hour passed quickly and soon her husband arrived from the Church so it was time to leave. We gathered together to hold hands and pray. I held fast her cold hand; consciously I tried to warm it sending the warmth thru myself to her and asked for healing for this beautiful soul of a woman. Her hands warmed in mine and when I opened my eyes to look at her, she was looking wide eyed at me, smiling shiny. I smiled shiny back, too. She asked us both what we would want her to pray for each of us in the coming week.
I looked at her and said,” That I can become a better witness."
She gasped a deep breath, filling her lungs and exclaiming, “What? You already are a good witness!”
As we said our goodbyes, she complimented me on my purple suit. “Yes,” I said, " I was brave this morning and wore my purple for you.”
For God is my record - I call God to witness that I have the strongest affection
for you all, and that I love you with that same kind of tender concern with which
Christ loved the world when he gave himself for it; for I am even ready to be
offered on the sacrifice and service of my faith,
quote- Philippians 2:17.
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