“With man
this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark
10:27, NIV)
A voice is
needed to be heard. A teacher without a voice is useless, unless his students
patiently wait for his written instructions. The worse nightmare for any teacher
is to lose his voice. A bad cold can
cause this, but so can a myriad of other things.
I used to
have the one voice people heard over any other. At school, students at the end
of the hallway could hear my voice, even when I was teaching behind a closed
door. Little by little, however, I began to lose my voice. Eventually a voice
amplifier (A microphone attached to a loudspeaker that is worn around the waist)
was assigned to me in order to ensure that the students could hear me. “Oh well,
that’s life!” I reasoned, and I continued teaching as normal, only with the use
of my voice amplifier.
After my anxiety attack at
Christmastime last year (2012), something happened. I was driven closer to God
than ever before, falling even more head over heels in love with the One I call
my Father. He truly became my Rock in whom I could stand.
I could identify with David when he wrote:
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of
the Almighty. I will say of the
Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’" (Ps 91:1-2,
NIV)
As a result, I began to depend on God more than ever
before. I never realized it, but deep down inside of me, I desired to have my
voice back and to be able to teach as I once did. One day I had the pleasant
surprise of realizing that my voice was completely back to normal.
Immediately I realized that my Father had given me the desire of my
heart, and I was soon able to store away my voice amplifier, never to be touched
again. My students can once again hear me clearly, even down to the end of the
hall! Hallelujah!
The big test came when I was able to teach gym
again. In a big gymnasium with a large group of students, it is often hard for a
teacher to be heard, especially when the students are really engaged.
This is why whistles are often used, but my voice is once again strong
enough to be heard over the noise!
I know it does not make sense by any human standards,
but with God, nothing is impossible! I can vouch for that 100%.
This week I went for my yearly physical. My doctor
asked me if I needed repeats for medicine I use on a regular basis. I used to
have around six or seven different medications.
Now I only need two, one for rashes whenever they come up and the other
for reflux. As I discussed it with the doctor, I couldn’t help wondering aloud
if I still needed the reflux medication. My doctor used to discourage me
whenever I wanted to try and discard medicine, but not any longer: “Would you
like to stop taking your medicine for reflux?” She asked.
It has now been over a week, and my once very prominent reflux is completely gone as well. And why not? After all, our Father is nuts about us!
Would you like to discover Him and experience Him
fully?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.