God of Details

It is no surprise that when I meet someone it is often the details of their story that I remember long after I walk away. Shamefully, until I get to know them well, I can often forget their name but remember every small detail of the hurts and joys of what they have told me. This is something that truly embarrasses me, yet I know why I do it; I remember vivid details. I not only hear what the person says but it truly captures my heart and fascinates me because of the unique way in which God is writing that person’s story. This is not a drama on TV, this is real life and God has taken another life, with his or her own unique set of hurts, joys, gifts, talents and settings and He is working and weaving their lifetime into history. I find this so very exciting!

Recently, I had a need to go through old photos and came upon one that made me again realize God was weaving and working long before I even knew in this family’s story. It was a simple photo of our youngest daughter, standing next to what was not yet but someday would be, our oldest daughter, Stacy. Why that picture was so interesting is because I also knew what was going on behind the scene in our home. And it humbles yet amazes me at the same time as to the intricate way the Lord was taking care of the details of our lives.

During that season of life our little 2-year-old daughter had started getting up out of bed and we would find this little bundle sleeping outside our bedroom door each morning in the hallway. Her favorite line was, “I was lonely, I don’t have anybody to sleep with like the boys.” Our boys shared a bedroom and she felt left out. So, began an additional way of dealing with this problem: she was praying for an older sister. But, as we told her, you can’t get an older sister, it just doesn’t work that way. What a little girl couldn’t understand was there was still grief going on for her mommy. During the last month of my pregnancy with her the doctor had told me that I could not have any more children. At 23 my body could not withstand another pregnancy. And while we knew we were blessed with our three children, it was as if there was a missing person at our table. I now believe that was the Lords way of setting in motion how this void would be filled. Looking back at this picture now, of these two little girls, I marvel at His handiwork in the details as He was weaving lives together.

Fast forward to another picture in my memory. Our youngest daughter with her “Big Sister” on her wedding day. Did you pick up on that? Yes, her prayer was answered. Right out of the mouths of Babes comes profound faith! And she certainly reminded us of that the day Stacy arrived… “See I told you God would get me a big Sister!” God answered her prayer. Stacy came to be her big sister when she was 11 years old and they were the dynamic duo, not in the typical sense, but in a life-altering sense. Stacy was loud and bold. Our youngest was timid and shy. But the Lord had a different image in mind for both girls. They blossomed in each other’s presence. By the end of their sisterhood the reason they were the dynamic duo was because God had seen to every detail of these two girl’s lives together. They were true “Sisters” who had come into the best of who they could be because of each other. Our youngest had blossomed into a new boldness, and self-assuredness because of Stacy. And Stacy had come to understand and embrace someone she could “Trust.” She had not only moved in but let her hair down, walked in to our hearts and fully believed that she was safe, loved and accepted in her new home and especially by her sister. I truly believe this was one of the main reasons she was secure enough to place her trust and faith in Christ. Her sister loved her, just as she was, so she wanted to be the best she could be.

And yet even this week, as I was driving in the car, air talking to Stacy, it was the details of this life that I so wanted to share with her. That is the thing I miss the most. The laughing, the orneriness (let me tell you she WAS ornery) the girly jabbering those two could do…. I miss it all! Then I realized. She has a front row seat to the details…right there in Heaven. The perfect details. For He is the one that has been the originator of them all along. From that old and faded picture of those little girls to all of the tiniest events of the girls growing up, and even before. He IS the writer of the details. Thank you for letting me find this picture Lord. It made for a great hug from heaven, here is one back to you Stacy! We love you Honey!