“Did Patsy like the flowers?”
my sister, Tammy, asked when I answered my cell phone one evening years ago.
I almost dropped the phone. My
sister had asked me to take flowers to a friend who had surgery for
breast cancer and was hospitalized in my town. I had forgotten, and to make
matters worse, I had been the one who originally insisted I could do it.
I hadn’t taken into account Jerry
would be out of town, and I would be trying to juggle all the household duties
along with childcare during this time.
“She’s supposed to be released in
the morning,” Tammy said.
I heard the disappointment in her
voice. Heartsick over my forgetfulness,
I hurriedly arranged for a babysitter and found a flower shop that opened early
the next morning.
As I almost ran to the front door
of the hospital, verses from Isaiah 43 came strongly to mind, and I wondered
why. It had been years since I memorized them.
Moments later, when I entered
Patsy’s room, I had never seen so many flowers in one room in all my life―on
every table, windowsill, and all along the floor.
Why was I there? The last thing
she needed was more flowers. I didn’t even know how they would get all these
vases in one car to go home.
I introduced myself to Patsy and
her husband, and immediately noticed her sad countenance.
“I’m running a fever, and the doctors
won’t let me go home,” she explained, disappointment in every word.
She didn’t need flowers, but maybe
I could pray with her. I asked and she consented.
As I prayed, those words from
Isaiah 43 came back to mind and I prayed them:
“But now, this is what the Lord says—he who
created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have
redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through
the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will
not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the
flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the lord, your God, the Holy One of
Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1-3).
When I finished praying, tears
streamed down Patsy’s face. “I just wrote those verses in my journal a few
minutes ago,” she said and showed me the words she had inked on the pages.
Even in her disappointment, she penned in her journal the truth that she was God’s.
When I prayed the same verses,
God whispered again, “You are mine,” to her heart and confirmed He had not
forgotten her.
When I left, I realized God in
his mercy had redeemed my bumbling efforts.
When I called my sister later that
day, she asked if I wanted to hear the rest of the story. Of course, I did.
“Patsy’s fever broke shortly
after you left, and she’s home now.”
Patsy had called my sister to
thank her for sending me. God had a plan.
Years later, when I, too, was
diagnosed with breast cancer, Patsy called with words of encouragement. She
sent me a note that said, “God knows us so well, and even then He knew I would have
a chance to encourage you. He can make a way even when we cannot see a way! He
will be strong in us because He is in us! Remember our verses. Isaiah 43:1-3.”
No matter where you are or what
you might be going through, please know He has etched those words, “You are
mine.” not on pieces of paper, but on
our hearts.
On this Valentine’s Day, when
there’s so much talk about love, it’s good to remember this greatest love of
all.