In my imagination, I see… myself as a child riding a pink bike with a banana seat. The handle bars sport long plastic streamers and a basket. I am all by myself riding down the middle of a dazzling white gravel road through the center of my heart. Oh, no! An enormous boulder blocks the road! I pull a chisel from my basket and begin to chip away at it.

Now, My Lord Guide appears beside me. He’s wearing khaki shorts, a white t-shirt, an orange safety vest, goggles, and an orange hard hat. He’s barefoot. He winks at me. Then in slow motion, he leans over and pushes down a detonator plunger with both hands.

Boom! A deafening explosion fills the air with a cloud of dust. My ears are ringing and I’m coughing. I look around for my Way Maker to tell him thank you, but he’s not there. A clear path stretches out ahead of me in the bright sunshine. The boulder is completely gone! I pull a white lacy handkerchief out of the basket to scrub my face. Tossing the hanky to the ground, I hop on my bike and pedal away.

For no apparent reason, I glance back over my shoulder only to see My Lord Guide standing in the middle of the road. He collects the handkerchief and holds it to his heart, smiling sweetly to himself.

We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.

1 Corinthians 10:13 TPT

In my imagination, I see… a meadow of wild flowers rolling across my heart. Our Lord Father appears wearing denim overalls and leather work boots with a silver flute in his pocket. His bushy white hair matches his bushy white beard and four daisy chains of different lengths hang around his neck. He is whistling as he pushes Serena in a squeaky wheelbarrow. Serena is busy making daisy chains. She looks about 7 years old and is dressed exactly like Father! She wears a bushy white wig and matching fake beard. Two Chelsea dolls are tucked in her front pocket.

I am also about seven years old. My long brown hair is pulled smoothly to the top of my head and braided into a crown. I wear a pink cotton dress and daisy chains. I’m sitting atop my pet giant tortoise, Hernan 444. He is saddled and bridled and I hold his reins loosely in my lap. I am singing, “Boom, boom, la dee da da,” and dancing a little bit in the saddle. My feet are raised, keeping my pink toes aloft.

Not really a story… just a picture of happiness.

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

Matthew 6:28-29 NKJV

In my imagination, I see… Serena and I as children playing on the beach of my heart beside the Glory Ocean. Serena is standing on my shoulders with my hands supporting her knees. She shades her eyes looking out to sea. We laugh and chatter as we tumble and climb back into place time after time. We are trying to see farther and having tremendous fun. What will Our Lord show us today?!

A little ways down the beach, a few years away, I see an older version of the girls standing tall. We appear graceful and strong with devotion and wisdom lighting our faces. We gaze out to sea, loving deeply everything we see. As one, we glance toward the little girls and smile, then turn back toward the horizon; an expectant watch tower at sunrise.

And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”

Exodus 33:18 NKJV

In my imagination, I see… Serena and I crowded into the front seat of our silver highway patrol SUV. We both shout, “SHOTGUN” and strap ourselves in to the front bucket seat together. She’s in the middle. Our angels perch on top. “Where are we going today?” we ask Officer Guide. “The Windy City, of course!” he rumbles. Simultaneously we all put on our mirrored sunglasses. Serena and I have our long hair tucked up in police caps. We have on serious faces. We are in training to be fierce warriors! “Wait a minute!” I yell. I jump out of the vehicle and slap a bumper sticker on the back window that says, “IN GOD WE TRUST”. I hop back in and my Lord nods approvingly at me. I nod back. Serena gets inspired and gives a long blast on her horn. Our Lord frowns at her and says, “I have told you to lean out the window when you do that!” She nods seriously at him and says, “Right.” He nods back. The radio crackles with a voice from dispatch, “People are calling for you everywhere.” Serena picks up the mic and says crisply, “On it!” I flip on the sirens and off we roll.

But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.

Psalm 18:6 NLT

Eve: Teach me how to pray with compassion!

Holy Spirit: Well, Eve, You could do this…

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Holy Spirit: Or, you could do this…

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