My times are in Your hand...

When I was conceived and formed in my mother's womb, Lord,

my times were in Your hand.

When I was born to my father and my mother, the sixth child in a family of seven children,

my times were in Your hand.

When I was nine years old and had to visit my mama in the state mental hospital, 

my times were in Your hand.

When Daddy sat us kids down and told us he was leaving Mama,

my times were in Your hand.

When You gave Mama the strength to get out there and get a good job and take good care of us,

my times were in Your hand.

When Mama took us to a little brown church that was instrumental in loving us back into wholeness,

my times were in Your hand.

When I was a naive teenager with no parental dating boundaries, You protected me.

My times were in Your hand.

When a young woman from church mailed me a life-changing note about God's plan and purpose for me,

my times were in Your hand.

When scholarships and grants and money I'd saved paid for my first year of college with $50 to spare,

my times were in Your hand.

When two young lovers who had no idea the challenges life would bring got married,

my times were in Your hand.

When this young wife and mama cried out to you, "God help me!  I don't know how to be a good wife and mother",

my times were in Your hand.

When we pastored little churches and barely got paid, You always provided.

My times were in Your hand.

When parenting challenges arose, when wisdom was needed, when I begged you to help us not screw up these three beautiful daughters You had blessed us with,

my times were in Your hand.

When one by one they left the nest, went off to college, got married, when we didn't know how we'd pay for any of it,

my times were in Your hand.

When I saw them suffer hope deferred, infertility, miscarriage, dreams dashed, 

my times, (and their times), were in Your hand.

When I saw, one by one, You give them the desires of their hearts in Your perfect way and timing,

my times, (and their times), were in Your hand.

When the grandbabies came, whether by adoption or by birth, and the enormity of grandparent love overwhelmed me,

my times were in Your hand.

When you opened doors of opportunity beyond my expectation and closed other doors, even when I didn't understand what You were up to,

my times were in Your hand.

Through four decades of marriage highs and lows and in-betweens, and ministry highs and lows and in-betweens, and family, and financial, and health, and relational highs and lows and in-betweens,

my times were in Your hand.

And now, in a few short months I will be sixty years old, and sometimes the thought of growing old and the unknown of it all scares me.  So, I remind myself of this constant, unchangeable truth,

my times are in Your hand. 

Always and forever.

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