Faith Sisters

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. Psalm 16:1

Isn’t it wonderful that we know that our Loving God can and will keep us safe. He provides refuge – protects us from dangers and He shelters us from distress.

And there are times when we, in retrospect, realize just how true this verse is.

This week we celebrate my daughter’s 17th birthday. And the week after that is four years since we almost lost her. My sassy girl had just turned 13 and was an active girl who would not miss an opportunity to have fun and try something new. There was nothing she could not do! Her scout troop enjoyed a weekend in the mountains – fun, fellowship, snowshoeing and on Sunday – snowtubing. She was a bit tired and chose to enjoy the beautiful day and opted out of the final activity, just relaxing at the bottom of the slope watching her friends. Shortly before they headed home, she decided that she had to experience this – just once. And leave it to my daughter to hit the lone tree on the run. She was airlifted to our local hospital, spent two weeks there with most of the first week in the PICU in an induced coma. She came home in a wheelchair, on oxygen and was dependent on me for the first few weeks for virtually everything. The next 10 months were spent healing and recovering, in physical therapy and in either a wheelchair or crutches. Today, she is a vibrant, compassionate and remarkable young lady who has grown in her faith through this experience. (and yes, she is still sassy – some things never change)

Our loving God protected her. The power of prayer is awesome. The experience brought her closer to Him (and it has strengthened my relationship with our Father as well)

Use this week to reflect on this verse. We each face ‘danger’ or ‘distress’ in our lives at some point or another. How are you kept safe in His loving care? Perhaps you pause before going through the intersection when the light turns green – and avert a nasty accident. Maybe a friend calls and offers to help with a special project – just when you were totally stressing and thought you would not get it finished in time. Or maybe you are sitting in your favorite chair enjoying quiet time and simply feel a warmth that envelops you like a hug.

Your challenge this week is to create a layout using this Bible verse. You can use a moment this week which ‘speaks to you’ or can document a previous memory or event.

Here is word-art to get you started.

When you are done, please post your layout in our Providence 365 gallery and let us know here in our Faith Sisters forum. We look forward to seeing how this weeks verse has moved you. (I am personally not quite ready to ‘scrap’ the story I have shared, so I will be working on this verse and layout throughout the week.)

If you are behind in Providence 365 – please do not worry, go at your pace. The bible verses Barbara and I are selecting are timeless. (If it makes you feel better, I have not yet completed each week – but I will.) If you are new to Providence 365, we invite you to go to our forum at Faith Sisters. You will find a thread for each week since January 1 which includes a special bible verse for your personal reflection, word-art to use as well as inspiration to create a great layout. It’s never too late to begin the Providence 365 journey. Won’t you join us!