Peeling Onions

Then the Lord answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint. If it delays, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not be late (Hb. 2:3 ).

My car has been in the shop for more than week after breaking down on the freeway on my way to Brea. I thought I would have my car back after a week, but was told it would take more time because a critical part is on back order. I had hoped that by now this ordeal would be over, but instead, I have to wait.

When someone is seriously ill, it is normal to pray for an instantaneous, miraculous cure like the ones we read about in Scripture. Those do happen, but more often, healing is a long, slow process. Healing involves waiting. When someone is in surgery, the outcome and prognosis are not always immediately known. Even after successful surgery, additional treatment or rehab are sometimes required. And it takes time for the incision to heal. We may wonder why God doesn’t just snap His fingers and make the pain go away. Why does He make us wait? Does He enjoy watching us hurt?

I don’t believe for a moment that our heavenly Father ever enjoys seeing His children in pain. But sometimes He does allow misfortune to befall us in order to bring us to something better. When the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon, the Lord encouraged them through the prophet Jeremiah to keep faith, and that He was with them. “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe; plans to give you a future full of hope!” (Jer. 29:11). Healing comes in many forms and, like life itself, is not an event or a destination. It is a process and a journey, and how we get there is as important as getting there, maybe more so.

In my car “drama,” I’ve been given the opportunity to practice patience, and to keep a sense of humor in a bad situation. I’ve also counted my blessings. Had I been in one of the inner lanes on the freeway when my engine quit, I could easily have been hit by another driver. Instead, I was able to pull safely off the road. Getting my car towed from Pomona back to Eagle Rock could have cost me a bundle. My husband made the decision a couple of years ago to increase our Triple-A to the “plus” coverage, so the tow was covered 100%. So far, all the repairs have been covered under the extended warranty I purchased at the time I bought the car. That warranty, by the way, will expire at the end of this month. Talk about timing! And I just learned that the warranty will cover 5 days’ cost on my rental care, which will cut that bill down considerably.

My husband and I have been able to joke about all the things that went wrong in our household in the month of September. Our son’s van had some problems. Our water heater started leaking and had to be replaced. It shorted out the phone line in the process. Fortunately, my husband and son were able to fix all those things themselves. Then the issues arose with my car. You can’t lose what you don’t have, and these little “losses” have helped us realize how blessed we truly are.

The reason the car has taken so long to fix is that as one diagnostic was addressed, it revealed others that need attention and you have to tackle those one at a time. Healing is sometimes like that, especially spiritual and emotional healing. It can be like peeling an onion. We deal with one layer and cry, and we deal with it, and then eventually come to the next layer and we cry some more as it is peeled away and we work through the pain. As we become ready and truly receptive to more healing, the Holy Spirit will reveal that next layer to us. Sometimes healing happens in the most unexpected ways, and often when we’re not looking. It can be a painful process, but in the end, we can look back at all that God has done and realize that He has been working in us and guiding us all along in both overt and covert ways, and that “the sufferings of the present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us” (Rom. 8:18).

Prayer Request: That we might keep our eyes open and respond with gratitude to all the ways that God is working in our lives.

Prayer
Lord, our God, we thank you for all that you allow to come into our lives, even when those things are painful or difficult. We trust in the plans you have for us, and we know Your hand is upon us, even when we can’t understand what is happening. In those times, give us the grace to cling even more tenaciously to you, who are mighty Lord, forever and ever. We pray in the Holy Name of Jesus, Amen.