Together at Last!
|
Finally, my four siblings and I were going to be reunited! We had not had a reunion in more than thirty years. I was excited, ecstatic, and overjoyed.
A few weeks before the reunion, my husband and I flew into Sangster International Airport in our beautiful hometown of Montego Bay, Jamaica.
So far, everything was going according to my well-laid plan.
Then came the first disappointment. It landed with a thud! Due to unforeseen circumstances, my sister had to cancel her travel plans. Then, as if this were not enough heartbreak, the second disappointment landed like a ton of bricks on the very day of the reunion! One of my two brothers fell ill and had to be taken to the hospital.
After a very long wait in the emergency room waiting area, he was admitted and transported to the ward. My other siblings alternated with me in supporting our ailing brother. We were devastated. There would be no reunion.
What would have been more poignant than a reunion of siblings who had not been together for more than thirty years? Though we did not know it, God had interrupted our plans for a very good reason. After much reflection, I turned my thoughts to Romans 8:28. We had wanted this reunion, but God knew that my brother was quite ill and needed medical attention. “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform”!* Life does not always give us beautiful, sweet-smelling roses. We must sometimes walk through the thorns and get pricked. But even when we face disappointments and feel crushed, we can remember that God’s way is always the best for us. God knows the end from the beginning. Though our joyful reunion did not take place, the good news is that my dear brother’s life was saved, and we are, indeed, grateful. I look forward to that glorious heavenly family reunion when, by God’s grace, we will be together at last. To God be the glory!
Winsome Joy Grant
* William Cowper, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” 1773, public domain.
