The Borrowed Hankie

It was Wednesday…  

The day of her Play Date with Jesus…

She had chased the butterflies from the fields of Heaven down into the pit of my stomach where they performed an erratic flight pattern of epic, Blue Angel fighter jet proportion...

I worried that my words would be interrupted by my emotion, and I would be overcome with tears as I eulogized an angel…

The previous day, knowing Annaleigh deserved only the best, I picked up my new suit from the tailor, not taking the time to try it on.  (A display of a completely different kind of trust…)

Normally, tucked within the inside pocket of my suit, is a fresh handkerchief, but not today…

As the family gathered before the service, I asked if anyone had a hankie I could borrow…

Dad, with a mischievous grin, pulls one from his suit jacket and says, “Don’t worry. I have not used it.”  I believed him not….  J

I briefly glanced at it before tucking it into my jacket pocket, joining the family in prayer, and entering the service.

Apprehension was just beneath the surface of my relatively calm demeanor as I walked to the stage to deliver my portion of the service.

For the next few moments, it was my privilege to speak about the precious life of Annaleigh and the joy she shared with so many.

When I finished, I walked from the stage, dropped off the bubbles that I had promised Annaleigh, rang the door bell of her playhouse, and took my seat.

The borrowed hankie had never left my pocket…

I meditated on that fact for a few moments, and God began to speak…

“Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

“Son, when I am with you, you do not need props to handle your grief.  See, you did not need the borrowed hankie, for My strength held you together during your time of sorrow.”

HE never leaves us…

HE never forsakes us…

In your moments of stress, worry, and uncertainty, turn to Him…

All it takes is a slight turn….

For HE is there…

As close as the mention of His name…

Many times, in ways similar to me borrowing Dad’s hankie, we add things to our lives in effort to prepare for our emotional crises…

Things such as money…

Things such as relationships…

Things such as possessions…

You know what yours are…

We become frantic when we cannot see them…

They become the security blankets of our lives, and we panic when they are not present…

“I can’t deal with this situation without my _________!”

When, God says, “If you will trust ME, you will not need THAT.”

God, help me to lay down all of the unnecessary things that weigh me down and learn to trust You.

After all, who wants a borrowed hankie anyway?!?