Am I Safe?

Yesterday I kept wishing I could remember that poem I'd referred to, so I did the right thing and searched Google. Even the one line I quoted was incorrect. You'll see that it says "safer than a known way," rather than "better."

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'
And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness
and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you
better than light
and safer than a known way!'
So I went forth
and finding the Hand of God,
trod gladly into the night.
M. Louise Haskins (1875-1957)

So early this morning, I was thinking about that word "safe." (I did more internet research yesterday on my kind of cancer, in preparation for the consultation with the oncologist tomorrow. As usual, it left me feeling anything but safe!) My mind went to Narnia, where the little girl asked anxiously about Aslan, the Christ-figure, "But is he safe?" To which the answer came: "Safe? 'Course he's not safe! He's a lion, I tell you. But he's good." Good! With a good God's hand in mine, it really is better than light, and safer than a known way.

My Christmas gift to myself this year was a new one-year Bible, this one chronological. I've never before read through the Bible in order as events occurred, and I'm looking forward to this. Will I be well enough all year to follow through? I'll admit the question enters my mind, but I'm well enough right now to start, so I did yesterday.

My blood test is first thing this morning, after which I'll go to the office. The final layout design of the SIM magazine is there waiting for me to upload to the internet for use by SIM offices around the world. That's always a pleasure and a privilege. There will also be several hundred spam emails that evaded our server's spam filter during the past two weeks. (Deleting them is not a pleasure.)

I know that many of you dear prayer helpers are facing unknowns of your own. I pray that God's hand will be for you better than light, and safer than a known way.

Love,
Carol