A story unfolds but not yet done

At the beginning of the year, we all look with anticipation at what we are going to do and what doors that God will open for us.

Sometimes those doors are not what we expect, nor can we explain.

One year ago this afternoon, my husband Bill was hit by a truck while he was out on his bike, an intricate part of Bill's life story of which he does not remember, even a glimmer.

But for me, I am still pulling out splinters of memories -- answering my phone, driving to the hospital and hearing the screams of the ambulance behind me, knowing Bill was in there.  Even right now, I am sitting at the same desk with the sun streaming in the window.  Just as I was writing that afternoon.  And I still recall one of the verses I had read early that morning that is now printed in indelible ink in my brain, the very last four words of the book of Ezekiel, "The LORD is there."  And indeed, He still is.

Recovery is a long road.  Healing takes longer, some things impossible to measure. Just a little bit stronger every day, even now for both of us.  One step of trusting Him, and then another.

One thing I experienced that afternoon, still very evident to me:  God is there in the everydays.  God is there in the crisis.  God is faithful.  He does not just show up.  He is already there.  His Presence is real. 

At this point, the accident is ancient history to most people, a faded anecdote, an amazing tale of the past, and rarely now even comes up in our interactions with people.  "Oh, I totally forgot about that," one woman said to me last week.

But what took place a year ago was not just about Bill.  God never works in isolated incidents, solitary characters, or even singular outcomes, but in grand narratives that impact the hearts of a cast of thousands, probably even more than that, beyond the six degrees of separation, those we know now and those we will never meet until the other side of life.  What took place this past year did not just "happen."  Bill was given an intricately designed story for God's glory.  We need not even ask why. 

When people occasionally ask how Bill is doing, I now usually reply, "he's good."

But what I am really thinking is "God is so good."  And I am grateful to God for his life.

Now to Him who is able
to do far more abundantly
than we can think or imagine.

                Ephesians 3. 20