Closing my eyes to pray, I saw a little child squatting on the ground, pulling steadily, and with great concentration, on a long, thin thread, like sewing cotton.
I couldn’t see what was tied to the far end, but it was clearly something significant, though not heavy. The child was reeling it in with ease, yet there was sufficient tension on the thread to keep it straight, suspended a few inches above the ground.
Wondering what was being reeled in, and with a sense of some precious, unseen treasure in store, I wished I could see more, but could not do so.
A few minutes later, I opened my iPad to find a very friendly, kind and welcoming email from a woman whose name I didn’t recognise.
Her letter described an order of nuns who have a tradition of accepting women of any age, including widows. I was so stunned by what she wrote that it took me about an hour to realise her message must have come in response to an on-line contact form I had completed the day before.
Her reply took my breath away, as all my previous enquiries whilst searching for such a group have been deeply discouraging. Indeed, I had reluctantly begun to think I must relinquish my long-held desire to become a nun after my husband’s death, or at least to have a connection with a group of like-minded women (1).
Filled with fresh hope, I replied to the stranger’s message. Only the day before, my spiritual advisor had suggested I should trust the Holy Spirit to show me the way forward, when the time was right (2). Now I’m waiting excitedly to see what God might have in store for me (3).
References
1. Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7; NLT).
2. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing (Psalm 143:10; NLT).
He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness (Daniel 2:22; NLT).
Accept the way God does things (Ecclesiastes 7:13; NLT).
3. I will give you treasures hidden in darkness – secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord (Isaiah 45:3; NLT).
Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Romans 11:34; NLT).
Who can predict what will happen tomorrow? (Isaiah 43:9; NLT).
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9; NLT).