Earlier this year, the Sisterchicks traveled to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California. We were in search of the biggest bloom of wildflowers in nearly 20 years. The desert did not disappoint. But as an added bonus, we learned about The Slot, a slot canyon carved out of the desert floor by flash floods, and decided we had to go there.
This part of the desert is not exactly stable. We learned it has three to four earthquakes every day. What that means to The Slot is boulders can shift, possibly when you’re hiking through it. It’s clear there has been shifting in the past. Some of the boulders were quite precariously perched above our heads. As we made our way through The Slot, things got a little tight. Some areas were barely shoulder width and required some squeezing with backpacks removed. Being claustrophobic, this was not an ideal situation for me.
As we were about to turn around because it looked like we were at a dead end, another visitor, walking along the top of the canyon, said, “Keep going. Once you squeeze through that small opening, it will open up again.” I thought she must be crazy, but two of the Chicks pushed on through and hollered back, “It’s fine. Come on, you can do it.” What are the chances an earthquake would happen just as we were going through, causing the walls to squish us? In the mind of a claustrophobic, pretty high. But we lived through it and even enjoyed our time there.
I was reminded of that day in The Slot yesterday. I’ve been waiting for months for August 21, the day the doctors at CHOP were going to reveal the results of my tests. They texted me yesterday morning to confirm the appointment, do the online check-in, and give me a schedule for the day. Then, at 4:00pm, they called and said they don’t have the test results and will have to postpone my appointment until the end of October. It seemed to me the ground shook and boulders were falling.
We had made plans. It was too late to cancel our hotel reservation. My husband was taking a vacation day. We canceled another appointment, which was hard to get, for that same day. My out-of-network referral would expire on September 5. And the biggest boulder of all, I have to wait another two months to learn the test results. I just wanted this wait to be over.
Fortunately, I have an amazing husband who wrapped me in his arms to protect me from the falling boulders. And, more importantly, I have a faithful God who holds the boulders in place. I went to bed with a migraine and lots of things to worry about. But this morning, I awoke with just a slight headache and feeling at peace—and a stomachache. I think I’m eating too many peaches. I digress. I realized no matter what is shaking my world, God is not surprised by it, and it is in His control. He won’t let me be squished, not even by worry or disappointment. Like my Sisterchicks, he is saying to me, “It’s fine. Come on, you can do it.” He is a rock that cannot be moved, a perfect place to hide, rest, and wait.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25 ESV)
Lisa J Radcliff ~ Finding Freedom from the Past 