This woman had lived in Lakeview before Katrina hit. Anyone living in New Orleans knows about the levee break in Lakeview and Lake Pontchartrain moving into the streets of that area and then into all of New Orleans itself. The water covered entirely all of the Lakeview houses; many people took refuge on the roofs and were saved if they lived in two-story homes. Those who had one-story homes were not so fortunate.
After Katrina, this woman had gone back several times to rescue and retrieve whatever possessions she could find. Some things were found scattered around the house, on the ground and in the neighborhood, left as the waters retreated three weeks later. But of course, most things had been carried off forever by the waters of Lake Pontchartrain. This woman told me that she had promised herself if she had not found anything else after searching for two straight weeks, that she would give up and allow the house to be torn down. On the last day of her two-week search without finding anything else, she tried to leave the house and go to work. But every time she reached her car, something pulled her back into the house. She did not know what she was looking for, and every time she returned to the house and looked again, she found nothing. She told herself, "There's nothing here," and she would once again head to her car. "Go back into the house," she was told again. And again, she returned and found nothing. Finally, she called her boss to report that she would be late for work. "Take as much time as you need," her boss replied.
On about the 5th or 6th time of going back and finding nothing, she noticed buried in the silver-grey carpet of the upstairs bedroom something that looked like a coke-can pop ring. Bending down to pick it up, she discovered the tiny silver ring that had been given to her by her grandmother many years before. She had actually forgotten about the ring since it had been so many years since she had received it -- but there it was, and miraculously, she had found it in a carpet the same color.
This time, she was able to leave the house and drive off without being pulled back by a force she did not understand. Her mission had been completed. The woman who told me this story was wearing her grandmother's ring along with her wedding and engagement rings. The experience had moved her and brought her closer to her grandmother on the other side of this world.
As I have written for the past two days, God does speak to us in various ways. Proverbs has so many ways of saying this:
...the Lord detests a perverse man
but takes the upright into his confidence.
The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the righteous...(3:32-33).
Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you....
Listen...accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.
I will guide you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.
Hold on to instruction; do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life (4:6-13).
It is so good to know that we can be guided by the voice of the Lord, that we can be taught by the Spirit of Truth, and that we will not be mis-led or mis-directed! It is so good to know that the Lord is able to speak even in our darkness, blindness, and misunderstanding. If we lean on Him, He will direct us and will not suffer us to fall into a pit.Jesus said, "Broad is the path that leads to destruction, and many there are who enter onto it, but stive to enter through the narrow door." There are many spirits let loose in the world, but fortunately, we know the One we can trust to lead us to eternal life. If the Lord cares enough to direct us to find our grandmother's ring, surely He cares enough to show us the path to eternal life!
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