By Josephine Lim-Weston
Sometime last month, I had just returned from the shop when I dropped my groceries in the house and proceeded to wipe away some dust and cobwebs from our front door. Although at the time I was contemplating putting my potato wedges in the oven while cleaning but decided against it and went on to clean the front door first. I was sure that I had my house keys in my winter jacket pocket before closing the door. After I had finished cleaning, I reached into my pocket for my house key but it was not there; instead what I'd got was my office keys. Without my handphone and my keys I was stuck and tried a few times to try push open the front door wishing and praying for a miracle to happen but alas it didn't work as usual. So there I was locked out in the cold wintry weather, unable to call/email my husband to come home and rescue me.
I prayed in my heart quickly then it flashed on my mind to go and knock on my neighbour's door which is 2 doors away as I remember seeing them come home that day. I proceeded to my neighbour's door and told her what happened and she immediately welcomed me into her house without me finishing my story and let me use her computer to email my husband (as I couldn't remember my husband's handphone number by heart, as this is what handphone/smartphone does to you - convenience and less memorising). Upon seeing my email, my husband who was half way working at that time left his office immediately to come home. While waiting for my husband (he's almost 2 hours journey away from home), it turned out my neighbour and I had a good long fellowship getting to know each other and sharing experiences and talked about what God has done etc. She was also so concerned when she knew we're about to get our windows and door replaced by the same company that she told us how much she paid for them and that we should call the company and tell them we have been over-quoted.
Now another incident, I was late getting to work one day due to a slow bus driver and underground tube being held up. There and then I was feeling frustrated wondering, "Why God, why all these things happening when I set off earlier than usual?" Finally while I was walking toward my office, suddenly I saw this woman in front of me talking on her phone on one hand while trying to pull out her travel oyster card with the other in a hurry while running toward her bus. Her credit card fell out from her pocket (without her realising it at all). I immediately stooped down to pick it up and called out to the lady. She turned around and took it from my hand and said thank you, then quickly got on the bus. If I wasn't late in the first place, she would have lost her payment card. Now I know why - timing is in God's hands.
From these incidents, I learnt that when "bad things" happened, it is so easy for us to get angry with God or the devil or ourselves or others, but if we stay calm and keep seeing God in every situation, trusting He already foresees it all and had planned ahead for us a victory crown, we will see God's will and good purpose prevail for our good and betterment even in the most unfortunate circumstance.
From my locked out incident, I learnt more about my new neighbour(s) and that whenever we meet again even their children are friendly with me now. We also got a better quotation for our new windows and door. I had the opportunity to learn many things from my neighbour and most importantly knowing that they as a family are attending a church nearby. I was also given the opportunity to encourage and give her affirmation of how strong and capable she is as a housewife and mother and also how blessed she is that she never had to miss seeing her children grow up (as she felt she is less capable than other women who work, as she would like to teach again). I think it's important we acknowledge and honour housewives as many are going through inferiority without realising how blessed they are. Apart from these, I was grateful to God that I wasn't driven by hunger upon returning from the shop otherwise the potato wedges would have burnt to ashes and, worse, our house might have burnt down. I was surprised that even skipping lunch that day I wasn't too hungry at all and what the Bible says is true - Those who refreshes others are themselves refreshed (Proverbs 11:25). Also it confirms how much my husband cared for me that upon knowing I got locked out he left his office immediately and forego his lunch to commute home as fast as he could.
Let us learn to stay calm even when we face adverse circumstances because if we see God in it with us we will neither panic nor be afraid as we shall overcome in Christ Jesus.
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