Thank you, Lord, for Hindsight

There have been so many times in my life when, looking back, I can easily see how the Lord worked things out on my behalf.

Most recently, I had what I am beginning to call my "backwards Saturday." I wrote about it a few days ago, at this link.

It started out very well, Then it fell downhill, like Jack in the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme.

And yet, by the time I went to bed that night, I was already able to see what the Lord had done for me, what he had shown me, and how he had helped me. I thought they were troubles when in fact they were lessons.

Take the issue of the car shaking and shuddering. It turned out it was because I had let it get to 1/8 a tank. I had been used to letting it even get to the "line,' the "E," at times, when I didn't have the money to fill it. Now, because of the Lord's calling my attention to the fact that the car is getting older (as am I), I need to keep it at 1/4 or more filled. The lesson was a little scarey, but not dangerous. With prayers at that moment, I was able to keep my stress level down and do what I needed to do. I got it safely to my mechanic and learned that lesson.

The next lesson that day was the computer. I had assumed that when my tech guy came in the afternoon, we expected a quick and easy hookup of my tower. This was free from a friend, to replace the slowly failing old laptop I'd been using. When the tower refused to turn on, my guy took it back to his place. In the end, it was only the power adapter - we needed the correct make/model. But as my tech guy pointed out, if I had tried to install it myself, I would have blamed myself, thought I'd hooked it up incorrectly, and wasted time, effort and stress on something that was not my fault. This way, the way the Lord handled it, we got the right answer.

And finally, that day, I received an unexpected note saying my newest monthly newsletter delivery helper could not finish her deliveries that day and had to quit. I felt that I was not quite up to going back to a full route. But, again, by the time I went to bed, I realized something. Along the way, when I set up her half-route, I had rearranged the full route, the load I had been pulling for a few years. In doing so, I made it easier for me to go back to doing the whole route once more. This time, it was a more even split between two days. I couldn't understand why I had not seen that arrangement sooner. Now, of course, I realized the Lord stepped in to help me.

Father, forgive this sometimes dense mortal that I am. Thank you for helping me, in your own way, in your own time. I am thrilled that I am seeing your help more easily these days. But it seems to have taken me 77 years to do so. I suppose I am a slow learner. Thank you for your patience with me. And thank you for the gift of hindsight, so I can look back and see those lessons.