“I have plans for you; not to hurt you, but to give you hope
and prosperity." ~ Jeremiah 29:11
The night air was just right,
perfect for stargazing, as the city slept beneath her. Jacquie leaned far out on the balcony ledge
and stared wistfully at the constellations.
As an amateur astrophysicist, observing the night sky was her form of
stress relief. Tonight she needed an
extra dose.
Jacquie contracted Hepatitis C from a blood transfusion seven
years ago. After 49 weeks of treatments,
tests showed she’d beaten the disease. But
just two weeks ago she admitted herself to the hospital with what was thought to
be Appendicitis. An MRI revealed
Cirrhosis of the liver. Today she ‘scored’
32 (acute) on the liver transplant waiting scale.
Jacquie smiled sadly, watching the clouds part and the stars
flickering in an enchanting rhythm. The
solar system, she knew, was filled with amazing planets, but none were more perfect
for life than the Earth God created.
If the crust of the earth had been only ten feet thicker,
there would have been no oxygen; human and animal life would have perished. Had our oceans been a few feet deeper, carbon
dioxide and oxygen would have been absorbed and no vegetable life could have
existed.
Our earth is the ideal distance from the sun – farther away
and we’d freeze, closer and we’d roast. Clouds
help balance the earth’s temperature. They block the sun when the earth’s
temperature becomes too hot, and they let the sunlight in when it’s too cold.
If our atmosphere had been thinner, some of the meteors, now
burned in space by the millions every day would strike all parts of the earth
causing catastrophic damage.
Earth’s atmosphere is 21% oxygen. If it were 25%, fires would erupt
spontaneously. If it were 15%, humans
would suffocate. The utter lifelessness
of other planets in our solar system illustrates the fact that earth is unique
and specially created for life.
In this wide universe there can be no finer planet for any
species than our own natural home, thought Jacquie. So many exacting conditions are necessary for
life on the earth that it’s impossible to believe that they could exist by
chance.
And then it hit her – like an unbridled meteor. “If God created a perfect universe, then He
must have a perfect plan for me too! He’ll
reveal His plan for me at the perfect time.”
Suddenly, her illness took on a whole new trajectory.
“He won’t reveal the “big picture” to me all at once because
I’d either become fearful, or have an attitude that says, “Okay, Lord - I can
take it from here!” God knows that I
need His constant help, so He wisely encourages dependence on Him.”
Perfection made possible only by God!
Dear child, whenever you don’t understand what’s
happening in your life, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and say “God I
know it’s Your plan, just help me through it. My plan is better than your
dreams. Love JC
