Through It All

Sometimes in life we are put through things that we see no way of getting out of. Sometimes it seems that our life is meant to be hard and that that is just the way it is. Have you ever had times that you felt that way? I imagine we all have at one time or another. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words but I am going to use the picture below to talk about what it does not say.



When you look at the picture you see a kitchen counter of a person who likes to cook, don't you? Sure you do. You see the measuring spoons and cups on the wall, the kitchen shears, and the see-through canisters. This kitchen happens to be mine. No, it is not the grandest kitchen ever constructed, but it is mine. It is what I have been given at this juncture in my life and I am thankful.

From looking at the picture you cannot see the little girl that I used to be who yearned for a row of cabinets in her Momma's kitchen. You cannot see the lonely spigot of cold water that hung over an old cast iron enameled sink. You cannot see the single 1by2 board nailed onto the wall that held the sink in place along with the accompanying iron pipes that held up the front of the sink. You cannot see the roaches that scurried from here to there when a person entered the kitchen. You cannot see the bare plank floor whose gray paint had long since peeled with only remnants of it remaining in existence around the edges of the room.

I won't tell you all that you cannot see in the picture, instead, I will tell you what the picture represents to the grateful and hopeful little girl who still lives within me. The see-through canisters remind the little girl of the hand of a beneficent God, Who provided food then and provides it now. The rubber gloves on the counter remind the little girl that she no longer has to wash her dishes in cold water with a bar of Octagon soap that will not lather much. The stand mixer reminds her that all things are mixed together and turn out for good with a beneficent God on your side. The see-through chopper next to the mixer reminds the little girl that through it all, God can, will, and has seen you through!

This Sunday morning, I am going to tell my God how grateful I am, yep, this Sunday morning. Meet you in worship this morning at our Father's throne.

Doing What I Can, While I Can Because I Care,
Alma L. Jones
Christian Poet & Author

Somebody has a story to tell.