As the length of the fat worm slithered out of its hole, I plucked it from the ground and gave it a fling, not wanting to kill it as I dug in the dirt and pulled weeds. Worms were good for the soil. Glancing in the direction I had thrown it, I laughed out loud. There it dangled from a flower stem. Both ends were squirming.
I can only imagine what it was thinking.
“What happened to my hole?”
“Where am I?”
“Now what am I supposed to do?”
“I’m going to die.”
But I could identify with that worm.
In my lifetime I have repeatedly been extracted from the only life I knew and flung to an unknown land. Sometimes it has been literally…moving from state to state. Going from high school to marriage to divorce and then single mom, I felt just like that worm…squirming from both ends.
Then there are the physical issues that come with life. Some are more difficult than others. Hospital stays, many medicine bottles, and constant monitoring can bring on the feeling of hanging from a stem.
Today, I am dealing with two health issues. So far, no clear answers on either front. But I’ve been squirming on both ends.
I meant no harm to that worm. In fact, I did the flinging for its safety. To the worm, I was just the huge giant that had control of its existence. It had no way of knowing that I was taking care of it.
As I leaned over and plucked it from the stem to place it safely on the ground in an area I had already worked, I realized God does the same for us.
We may feel like we are hanging on a stem. What are we thinking?
“What happened to my home life?”
“Why am I living here?”
“Can it get any worse?”
“Am I going to die?”
All the time, God is looking down from heaven, watching over us. The plucking and flinging may have been for our own good. Sometimes, He rescues us as we hang there; just as I did for the worm. Other times, He allows us to make our own way off the stem and onto the ground. As we move, we learn what works and what doesn’t. Occasionally we fall, landing with a brutal thud.
That doesn’t mean He’s gone. We had a lesson we needed to learn. Many times it takes more than one hard fall to finally get the intended message.
As I continued working in the dirt, my mind turned to the huge giant…God…that I want to be in control of my life. Why do I squirm so? Since I was already on my knees, I spent a little time in meditation and prayer.
I felt like I was still dangling, but the squirming ceased; replaced with peace. Some day I would understand; either in this life or the next.
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