"God arranges everything for us, so that we need have no more fear or trouble and may be quite sure that all things will come right in the end."

Heidi

It has been a couple weeks of challenges that hit like a spray of pellets. Separate issues to sort through with  friends and relatives in crisis along with the big and little decisions that must be made daily in a large household.  While we could begin to troubleshoot and make a plan of action for some of those things, others have not been so clear cut.  There are layers to peel away to get to the bottom some things and all you can do is be patient and think as clearly as you can each baby step along the way. 

We have just a few more pages and Heidi's story will be finished. (We always have to make a date to savor that very last chapter of a read-aloud together.)  There have been so many beautiful passages.  The other day Heidi was reflecting about her fervent prayers in Frankfurt and her despair when day after day, week after week, they went unanswered.  That despair was contrasted with the utter joy she was feeling at the end of the story when so many unexpected blessings showered down upon them all.  Those blessings were only possible because of the terrible pain that had come before. Had the relief come any sooner, the blessing would have been lost. 

It is the wait that tries us though, the worry, the wondering, our absolute certainty at times that it's all going awry. Her words come back to me reply:

“We must pray to God everyday to show we don't forget that all gifts come from Him. But if some wishes remain unfulfilled we must show our confidence in Him, for He knows best.” 

It all comes right in the end.  In the meantime we relish all the good and beautiful things sprinkled generously in between the trials. In fact the greater the trials, the more crucial it is to discipline yourself to find joy. So that is why you see cupcakes and sunshine over here even though there are some much bigger things unfolding at the same time.  This is how we show our confidence.