Psalm 5:11-12
Let all who run to you for protection always sing joyful songs. Provide shelter for those who truly love you and let them rejoice. Our LORD, you bless those who live right, and you shield them with your kindness.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Last fall, my grandmother was involved in a vehicle collision, and she suffered a bruised sternum. After several hours in the ER, the doctors told me that she might be woozy the first night, and someone should probably stay with her. I went home with her to spend the night. I didn’t sleep much, so I was awake around 3:00 a.m. when I heard her get up and head toward her bathroom.
I rose up enough in bed to see a little white-haired streak pass through the hallway pushing a walker, as my grandmother made her way from her bedroom into the bathroom. I realized that, even shaken from her accident, she was so familiar with that route of about 10 feet that she did not falter. After 22 years of making this trek every night, she was so familiar with this path that she literally could have done it in her sleep. I lay back down, confident she was safe… for that night at least.
In recent weeks, it has become apparent that my little grandmother is declining, and we have all agreed it is not truly safe for her to live alone in her own home. We are literally days away from moving her into an assisted living facility… just waiting on the last of the paper work to be completed. In this facility, my grandmother will have her own apartment, and she will be able to retain a level of relative independence.
At the same time, she will have skilled nursing care, help with taking her medications properly, three meals a day, help with personal needs… and hopefully, more safety. She won’t have to walk outside to get her mail… she can walk in the hallways for exercise and not worry about the weather. She will have friends near her own age with whom to visit and spend time, and we all feel she will be happier. For my part, as her primary caregiver, I will sleep better at night knowing she is there receiving all of this care and attention.
God has sheltered my grandmother for 98 years. He has protected her in the midst of illnesses, accidents, and even a house fire. He has always restored her health and her well-being… and comforted her in times of grief and loss. And I have no doubt He will continue to care for her and protect her once she makes this move. As I look at what God has done for my grandmother all of these years… I recognize that in return, she has remained faithful to Him and loved Him. She has lived right, and God has blessed her. And what God does for my little grandmother, He will surely do for each of us!
For many of us, old age and assisted living facilities are not even on our radar. But changes in life will come… trials, tribulations, hard times and tragedies will befall each of us. Like my grandmother, we will not skate through life without challenges. But just like her, we can enjoy a life filled with blessings, protection, restoration and rewards. Every single day, God stands ready to care for us beyond anything we could ever imagine. The challenge for us is to recognize His power and presence… and to live as Christians like we really mean it! We must honor our commitment and sing songs of joy… and God will give us all the reason we need to do so.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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