Providence on the Prairie

Grasshoppers crunched underfoot; they ate up every green thing; they made Ma feel sick. She sat down limply in her rocking chair, confessing that she could no longer bear this plague. Not long later, the grasshoppers began to walk west; then they flew away in a glittering cloud. Soon a mist of green began to appear on the prairie, now that the grasshoppers had flown away. 

We ought to pray without ceasing, especially when we are at our wits’ end; we also might express our feelings to those around us—God hears us then, too. It seems that the Lord heard Ma’s heart cry. And when His providential hand lifted her heavy load, Ma prayed in a tone of thankfulness, praising the Lord who can do anything—including what seems impossible.

From Blizzard to Bliss

During the school day, a storm struck. Two sisters donned their wraps, then left with Teacher and the others. They trudged on and on in the cold, the snow blowing, blinding their eyes. After a long while of wandering through the whiteout, never sure of where they were, the older sister crashed into something—the corner of two walls, a building! The howling wind drowned out her call; she pulled down her icy muffler and screamed into the storm. The others had been unwittingly drifting toward the open prairie, but they finally heard her above the wind. Soon they all made it safely to their homes.

Their parents helped the girls out of their frozen wraps. They shivered by the stove, sipping hot ginger tea, slowly growing warm and comfortable, happy to be home. Could heaven be as blissful as this? Yes—but better and forever.

A Walk in the Hockomock

When I think up a title I like, that can be inspiring enough to propel me into the project. Years ago I had planned to write a poem using the above title; after all, it rhymes. Next I needed to research life in the Hockomock Swamp. But when my husband and I arrived to investigate the swamp, a swarm of eager greeters waited at the entrance to welcome us—DEER FLIES! I immediately dropped the poem idea, all due to my fear of deer flies.
 
How does one conquer a particular fear? Often by facing it. I now live in an area that must be the ideal habitat for deer flies. Of course, I would still prefer to avoid them; they delight in dive-bombing me on sunny summer days. But come to find out, deer flies are merely bothersome rather than frightening.
 
At times God uses fascinating means to help His children face their fears.

Through the Slough

Two sisters headed home, returning from an errand in town. The younger one suggested a shortcut: through the slough. The older one knew better, but she agreed anyway. The tall grass blocked the view of their father in the distance; soon the girls were lost. Going right, then left when encountering each grass clump could still mean they were traveling in circles—something lost people do. They kept going despite exhaustion, thirst, and sweating in summer’s heat. Finally, the older one spied a thinning of the grass, a glimpse of sunlight peeking through stems. They trudged in that direction and escaped the slough. A person appeared and pointed out their father, not too far away. Time in the slough taught the two to stay in the way.

Rose Repents

Scanning the small bedroom that had belonged to her for many months, Rose spied something that should have been packed away: Her Bible. She lifted it from the shelf above her bed and brushed off the dust. Then she slipped her hand inside to remove the one item she had planned to leave behind: Paul’s picture. There he was, still refusing to meet her gaze. But why? A tear trickled down Rose’s cheek. “I know why.” She sighed and sat down limply on her bed by the window. “You disapprove of the crowd I’ve been spending time with. You would scorn the future I hope to find in my new career. You would say I’m running after riches, I’m out of my place, I’m living a wild life.”
 
Suddenly a fresh torrent of tears blurred Paul’s image; Rose rubbed her eyes. “This life,” she murmured to the ceiling, “never satisfies.” Then a refreshing thought occurred to her: “What if … I would turn from the way I’ve been going?” … She propped Paul’s picture on the windowsill and opened the Bible her mother had insisted Rose take with her when she left home. For the next few hours, the only sound from Rose’s room was the whisper of turning pages. She sought—and found!—the answer to her emptiness: Christ.
 
Finally Rose determined to call Paul, and then her parents; she would take the bus back home and marry Paul whenever he was ready. She would turn from her old, wild ways to something new. Her new life would embrace the space that God wanted her to fill—in a place called HOME.