“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”  ( Isaiah 7:9 NIV)

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written by Debbie Allen

From the sniffles of an unwanted cold to the post-trauma of an unexpected major surgery, all of us are well acquainted with the many faces of misery.  Weakness, vulnerability, depression, discomfort, sickness, pain, and fear; to mention a few.  Though none of  us would choose to befriend any of these, all of us have been chosen by some of them at one time or another.  I can’t imagine any of us rolling out the welcome mat and willingly embracing pain or anxiety when it comes knocking on our doorstep.  Our first instinct is always to run, not to succumb!  However, we tend to forget…these unannounced intruders come in anyway, with or without our permission.  From the moment they cross the threshold of our resistance, we become walking reminders to a watching world of the frailty of life. Fresh evidence of the broken world we live in. In light of this, is hopelessness the game and loser our name in all of this?  I can say with confidence,”Definitely not!”  Greater Purpose is the game and we call on God’s Name!

In all honesty, if God allowed me to pick the name of my own life’s game, it would be called Comfort Zone, and Pampered would be my name  at the finish line!  The very first rule in my game would be this.  On my front door, there would always be a sign posted that read,

NO SOLICITORS…in the Name of GOD, GO AWAY!!!

to shoo away any unwanted intruders like sickness, pain, fear, and anything else undesirable.  Even as I write these words, I sense a Holy Eye Brow being raised in my direction.  You see, I know better.  My Father has taught me well over the years, that His Game of Greater Purpose will always supersede my preferred game of Comfort Zone where I  get to live out my life as Lady Pampered.  The boundaries to His Game are limitless.  His purpose for me throughout His Game is to come to know, love, and believe in Him; to deepen me to His highest purpose for me…a relationship with Him.  My Heavenly Father longs for me to more fully understand that He is to me, personally, the answer to ALL of my life’s questions. And believe me…there are plenty of them throughout the course of His Game!

Easter Morning this year, was one such day for me.  When I woke up to get ready for church, my head was filled with questions because my eye was filled with darkness!  I was suddenly nearly blind in my right eye.  What began on Friday as what I perceived to be the beginnings of tunnel vision and the onset of a migraine; progressed to the unthinkable.  Blindness!  I never envisioned myself ever having to step into Helen Keller’s shoes in my lifetime. Even if I was only being asked to wear one of them, my world was already w-a-y out of balance!

I walked into Church that morning wearing a new dress and a brimming smile.From the outside, I looked like I had it all together.  But, on the inside I felt like the storm clouds were gathering.  Before the service, portions of Hillsong’s Oceans song filtered into my spirit.

“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders…Let me walk upon the waters…take me deeper than my feet would ever wander,,,an my faith will be made stronger…in the Presence of my Savior.”

I swallowed hard, every word piercing my heart a little deeper.  With each note, God was transforming those very  familiar words into something deeply personal for me.  “Trust without borders.” What these words reflected most to me was that I was standing right in the middle of God’s Game Board once more; and the next move was going to be mine.

Monday morning I called the Ophthalmologist, who promptly sent me to the Retina Center to see a Specialist who dealt with eye trauma daily.  Forty pictures of my eye later revealed I had experienced a separated retina with multiple tears and a hole in my macular.

“A veil has torn inside your eye; it’s the curtain that is blocking your vision.”

The very moment I heard the word, veil,my thoughts tip-toed back to the Easter Story.The day Jesus died on the Cross, He entered into His Own deep, Darkness for my soul’s sake.  God says in His Word, “At that moment, the veil in the Temple was torn in Two from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:52)

When Jesus’ veil in the Temple was torn in two by the very Hand of God that day, it meant that nothing would ever again keep me from seeing Jesus face-to-face!  Because I was standing on God’s Game Board, I was beginning to understand that in some strange way  my tiny ‘torn veil’ story was uniquely linked to His Eternal ‘Torn Veil’ Story.

Within three days of my diagnosis, I underwent major surgery to remove the veil in my eye.  Covered in gauze and concealed by a patch now, I had no idea what to expect at my next-day Doctor visit.  Because the surgery came with no promises, when the bandages came off I held my breath with my eye still closed.

“Open your eye and tell me what you see,” the Doctor spoke in her monotone, Romanian voice.

Before I responded,she asked me with anticipation, “Do you see light?”

“Yes…I DO see light,” I spoke calmly. I knew she would never approve of the cartwheels and back flips going on inside of me so soon after surgery!  In the words of my Doctor, seeing light was a “good sign.”  But after having my eye wrapped in total darkness for a time, the light I saw was like seeing a little patch of Glory!  As far as my own heart was concerned, my torn veil was gone and I was standing face-to-face with the Light of the World Himself!

Standing on God’s Game Board guarantees us we will encounter His trust-without-borders moments all along life’s way.  But, remember, God named His Game Greater Purpose for a reason.  Those who call Him, Father, have the unspeakable privilege of seeing Him Face-to-Face every move we make, and calling on His Name until we reach the end of the Game!

Jesus’ Story speaks of the ultimate Love and Redemption; of Light conquering the Darkness of this world.  My story is one of restoration and of His Light coming into my own darkness.  Through all of this, I experienced how very real the darkness is.  And if you do nothing about it, how that darkness will consume not only your vision but, your life.  Jesus told His Disciples,

“I have come into the world as a Light, so that none who believe in Me should stay in darkness.”  (John 12:46 NIV)

Heart Trappings:

Which Game Board are you standing on right now?

Greater Purpose……or Comfort Zone?

The Light of the World……or the darkness of your own world?

Which will you choose?   Triumph…..or Tragedy?  It’s your move…

Prayer:  Father, I pray that You, out of Your Glorious riches, would strengthen me with Power through Your Spirit to battle the uncertainties of this life that come knocking on our door.  Help me to remember the words of the Prophet Isaiah, ” If your faith will not stand, then you will not stand at all.”

Amen