Chippie

Years ago when we were living in Connecticut, it was crazy in our house with 3 small kids and Nicole was a baby.  To this day I don't know how we got this book, but a Max Lucado book came in the mail.  It stayed unopened for awhile, I didn't have the time or energy to read much past Dr. Seuss and the children's Bible.  ;)


One night I picked it up out of curiosity, and I read the introduction as I was laughing and crying.  I felt like Chippie (you'll understand in a minute) and I knew that God sent me that book.  He saw me.  He got it.  The book is "In The Eye Of The Storm" and I couldn't put it down.  It was exactly what I needed.


So, Chippie was this little Parakeet who was minding his own business sitting on his perch, when his owner decided to clean out his cage.  She put the vacuum hose in to clean the bottom when the phone rang, as she turned to pick it up she heard "sssopp!"


"The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag.  There was Chippie ~ still alive, but stunned.  Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced for the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water.  Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering...she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air."
          (by this time I was laughing/crying so hard that Dean came to check on me)


When asked a few days later how Chippie was doing she replied, "Chippie doesn't sing much anymore ~ he just sits and stares."


I related to Chippie back then and so often through the years...happily going along when I'm suddenly "sucked in, washed up and blown over."


Dean and I joke that life has a way of changing your doctrine, in that, things don't always line up with what you think or believe should have or would have happened.  Our ideas about life have to line up with up God's.  There is a difference between justice and just;  mercy and judgement etc.


When Dean's sister got cancer we believed for healing, when my mom had an aneurysm we believed for a miracle, when we stepped out in faith to answer the call of God to go ~ we expected to succeed.  All of these things and more didn't add up to what we got.  


Some say that the center verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8 "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man."  If that is the center of the Bible, maybe we should pay attention to what it is that God says.  


We need to hide in God.  He is our shelter when the answer to our prayer is "no" and we lose someone we love and don't understand why.  He covers us when we don't attain a level of success we were hoping for.  He is our shield against the judgments of others.  


People and circumstances in our lives can make us a "hot mess!"  (I picked that up here in Texas)  If we follow what others say, or do what they expect over what God says, we will always come up short and drive ourselves crazy.


I also like Psalm 118:13&14 "I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.  The Lord is my strength and my song; He alone has become my salvation." 



So, if you have been sucked in, washed up or blown over.  If you don't sing much anymore.  Take refuge in God.  He is your strength.  He is your song.  He is your salvation.  He is there to cover you against any of life's storms.


All these years later, I still remember that little bird and how God sent me a book to show me His love and  to give me hope.  Trust in God ~ He is trustworthy!


Have a fab day!
All my love ~ Jodi  xoxo


P.S.  Thank you to those who shared about your gifts!  I loved it!