A voice in the wilderness: Peace lily

News | December 7, 2018

Thirty years ago, our family went through a very tough few months. It began when Art’s dad was killed in a crash. Then, our Tupperware franchise was closed by the home office without warning. Art and I had no job or income. Art went into a deep depression.

The first voice in this wilderness came from our son who was in medical school nearby. After seeing Art, he knew he needed to be hospitalized. We dropped Art off at a hospital at 2 a.m. that Sunday.

The next voices were two of our other kids who lived near us, as I started to close our business. I had led the people, Art had taken care of all the inventory. I now needed to do both. I still don’t know if it went well or even fairly, but I did my best. The process took 7-10 days, while Art was hospitalized.

We also heard from people from our church and neighborhood, and our family. One evening, when I arrived home after a long day of work and visiting Art in the hospital, our house was clean, the laundry done, and dinner cooked for several nights to come. We  had family who helped us financially.

And finally, I heard the voice of God in the quiet of the evenings. I lived for evenings so I could look for God’s voice in scripture and rest. At one point, I noticed our peace lily. Usually it had only had one or two blossoms. It was blooming with at least seven blooms – the same number as members of our family!

Thanks be to all of these voices, and to God.

Judy is a Lutheran Deaconess (Valpo). Her joys are studying scripture, playing MahJongg, and knitting and crocheting. She is glad to be in the Quad Cities with her son, Matt Schroeder, and family.

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