DEM BONES DEM BONES

When I first saw her she was sitting under the apple tree in her wheelchair. She was so tiny. I would have guessed she was in her late 80’s but to my surprise she is only 59. When should stood to readjust you could hear bones crack that you didn’t even know existed. Bones, that’s the most fitting name for her.  She was sitting in her chair staring off at the mountains and praying that God would bring her home. She was ready. The pain was overwhelming. My heart was breaking. She was still so young. As we walked away I wondered if I would ever see her again.
One week later we returned to see how she was doing. It was dark and cold. We were not sure that she would be awake but I wanted to go see. I had a feeling that we needed to go see her. When we walked up she was sitting under the same tree, in the same spot, alone, and crying. She had been left outside for the night and was just saying over and over that she was ready to go home. She and her husband had just gotten into a fight. He had been drinking and had put her outside for the night. She hadn’t eaten all day and she was in tremendous pain. Anger sat in. How could anyone leave someone they supposedly loved out in the dark? How could anyone treat his or her spouse that way? God had sent us there that night. There was no denying that we were supposed to visit her.
We sat with her and talked with her. We cried, we laughed, and we sang, we prayed. When we finished praying her husband walked up. John went inside and talked to the husband. The husband is not a Christian and we didn’t know how he would react, but the next moment was one of the most beautiful things. The husband walked out to Bones and looked her in the eye. He apologized and kissed her on the side of the cheek. As He stood back up He said I love you. What a beautiful picture, man who was able to come in front of a group of strangers and apologize to his wife.  It was then that I realized I had it all wrong. He could barely afford to put food on the table, was trying to work, and at the same time spend every waking moment taking care of someone who couldn’t even feed herself. He wasn’t the beast that I wanted to make him out to be. He was a sweet, gentle man, who was trying everything humanly possible to love her. He didn’t have the strength that comes from God. He is a lost man trying to survive a harsh life.
There was no doubt in my mind after that night that God was at work there. He hadn’t left his daughter to sit in pain and die. He hadn’t forgotten her. He isn’t finished there yet. When I returned yesterday morning to my surprise she was sitting in a new spot. She was hurting but I still left there with more peace than before. I saw God working. The husband sat with a smile on his face and listened to us pray.  If nothing else I believe that God is working in the heart of Bones’s husband. I believe that God hasn’t stopped pursing him.
Next week another team of racers will be heading to Arcalia. They will be visiting Bones and her husband everyday. They will be helping take care of her as well as helping the husband work around the house. Our God is good. Pray that the husband’s heart will continue to be softened and God will speak to Him. It is never to late. No one is ever to far from His hand.