"Life is Good."
Just about a year ago the bride and I went on the hunt for a new washer and dryer. Over the years and through five children, our 20 year old mismatched set was in dire need of replacement. It's almost embarrassing to admit, but we were smitten by the front-loading washer dryer set produced by LG. On sale, and even then negotiable, touted quality, updated features, environmentally friendly, water miser and energy efficient, we made the deal....'Life is Good'.
That is if you have a warranty.
One day the dryer quit drying. Just two days later the washer leaked a pond. In a matter of days that stretched into a few weeks, repairman came and went believing that their skill had restored our hearts to LG song and dance. Bad turned into worse as the washer itself had to be replaced...in just over a year. Had we not purchased the extended warranty, we would have been out of LG! When it came time to replace our useless infant LG washer, the wife and I were thinking 'Whirlpool' instead. We were assured that the design flaw that had scrapped our LG dreams had been corrected...and in came the new machine...extended warranty and all!
A few days later I received a call from my father. A suspicious shading on his lung had merited a biopsy that was scheduled for just a few days later. The kind of cancer that had been suspected would be fatal should it be confirmed by a specialist. Dad asked that I come home to be with Mom as the outcomes had the potential of being devastating. My brother and sister would also arrive from out of town as this diagnosis became prognosis. When the report came back conclusive that my Dad's cancer gave him a limited timetable upon this earth, my mind, heart and spirit raced through catalogues of memories, conversations and experiences shared with my Dad. Nights were sleepless. Days were anxious.
They still are.
"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways." Psalm 139:1-3
To think that the God of the Universe pays that close of attention to such minute details of our lives has brought me untold comfort and assurance. Nothing is outside of the scope of His watchfulness. His attention is yet another evidence of His absolute love for the people He has created. He knows us, and yet does not pry. He watches us, and yet is not a snoop. He studies us, looks beneath the superficial and knows us deeply. He knows every groaning. He is aware of every anxious fret. He is keyed in on every thought. He is zeroed in on every word. Who could possibly love me more than the God who pays such close attention to my life and yours?
In the midst of living...which will always include dying, (the entrance to real living!)...I am reflecting on the fact that God cares about my washer and dryer and is happy that we were smart enough to get the extended warranty. He knew we would need it before the combo set ever came off of the truck! He is reminding me that LG is real. Life is Good. Even in the midst of very real pain, uncertainty and separation from my life hero that may come as quickly as 9 months hence, I (and Dad) are really, really blessed. Because He knows our every step, He will walk with my Dad on this leg of the journey. He will not abandon the man whose every movement He is cued into and whose days and history He set into motion.
Even when life gets hard...
Life is Good. My Dad has an 'Extended Warranty' too. His Heavenly Father paid for it.
