May God Go With You
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series II Cycle B
Things weren't going very well. Angelica's husband's paycheck wasn't due for another week. Last month's pharmacy bill was over $200. And the emergency room had wanted cash when she brought her son in. The asthma attack couldn't have come at a worse time.
Angelica eyed the clock. Four a.m. She looked at her husband, sleeping peacefully, wishing she could sleep so soundly. She quietly rolled over and tiptoed out the room.
The recliner was comfortable and the little afghan felt good on her legs. She looked out the window and sighed. A star was twinkling overhead and the moon cast a bright glow over the yard. The swing set seemed to be in a soft spotlight. Angelica couldn't resist and went outside.
The grass felt so soft beneath her feet. The cat purred softly on the porch. She opened her eyes just long enough to make sure Angelica wasn't a stranger.
Angelica sat on a swing. She loved her yard. They had taken great pains to put in shade in just the right places. Huge pots of geraniums marked the corners. Tall corn bordered the garden to the side. She could just taste the tomatoes and cucumbers they would enjoy in a month or so.
She took a deep breath. Ahh, the night seemed to have a perfume to it. Maybe it was the eucalyptus trees growing to the south. Or perhaps it was the gardenias. The tea olive was in bloom. It was her favorite scent of all as it blew through the house on a warm summer day.
Her children loved to play here. Their friends filled the yard on many holidays. Family members would spill over the lawns at every celebration. It was a lively, fun place.
Yet it was a quiet, magical place too. Angelica loved to read novels on the hammock on Sunday afternoons. And gardening was her quiet time. Her time to think about things, to ask God to give her strength and to give her direction. It was a blessed spot. She bowed her head and asked for God's presence in the days ahead. She asked for guidance in making decisions. And she thanked God for the many blessings in her life. There were so many! How could she even begin to count them all? Children, a faithful husband, loyal friends, and a close family. She would make it because God would be with her.
She crept back into the kitchen noiselessly. As she turned to close the door, her eye caught a postcard. She had bought it at a restored Norwegian stave church while on vacation during better times. It read:
As you go on your way, May God go with you.
May He go before you to show you the way;
May He go behind you to encourage you;
Beside you to befriend you;
Above you to watch over you;
And within you to give you peace.
Angelica did feel peace -- a peace of knowing God was with her, a peace of knowing that, all in all, things would work out.
Angelica eyed the clock. Four a.m. She looked at her husband, sleeping peacefully, wishing she could sleep so soundly. She quietly rolled over and tiptoed out the room.
The recliner was comfortable and the little afghan felt good on her legs. She looked out the window and sighed. A star was twinkling overhead and the moon cast a bright glow over the yard. The swing set seemed to be in a soft spotlight. Angelica couldn't resist and went outside.
The grass felt so soft beneath her feet. The cat purred softly on the porch. She opened her eyes just long enough to make sure Angelica wasn't a stranger.
Angelica sat on a swing. She loved her yard. They had taken great pains to put in shade in just the right places. Huge pots of geraniums marked the corners. Tall corn bordered the garden to the side. She could just taste the tomatoes and cucumbers they would enjoy in a month or so.
She took a deep breath. Ahh, the night seemed to have a perfume to it. Maybe it was the eucalyptus trees growing to the south. Or perhaps it was the gardenias. The tea olive was in bloom. It was her favorite scent of all as it blew through the house on a warm summer day.
Her children loved to play here. Their friends filled the yard on many holidays. Family members would spill over the lawns at every celebration. It was a lively, fun place.
Yet it was a quiet, magical place too. Angelica loved to read novels on the hammock on Sunday afternoons. And gardening was her quiet time. Her time to think about things, to ask God to give her strength and to give her direction. It was a blessed spot. She bowed her head and asked for God's presence in the days ahead. She asked for guidance in making decisions. And she thanked God for the many blessings in her life. There were so many! How could she even begin to count them all? Children, a faithful husband, loyal friends, and a close family. She would make it because God would be with her.
She crept back into the kitchen noiselessly. As she turned to close the door, her eye caught a postcard. She had bought it at a restored Norwegian stave church while on vacation during better times. It read:
As you go on your way, May God go with you.
May He go before you to show you the way;
May He go behind you to encourage you;
Beside you to befriend you;
Above you to watch over you;
And within you to give you peace.
Angelica did feel peace -- a peace of knowing God was with her, a peace of knowing that, all in all, things would work out.
