Trust in the Lord Always

It's Just a Wheel

The Wheelchair of Faith

One too early morning, a brand-new day was delivered to Pawpaw. So Pawpaw decided that the best way to commence such a day was with a nice, long, warm shower.

When…

Pawpaw: “A BIG HAIRY SPIDER!”

That’s right. Some spider had decided to consider his real-estate options in the general locality of Pawpaw’s personal vicinity.

After some rather loud and non-harmonic accords, and a variety of interesting diplomatic relation attempts, the big hairy spider decided that down the drain was a more welcoming place to reside.

Judging from all the hollerin’, yollerin’, and non-tollering’, it would appear the spidey’s new abode was in the neighbor lady’s commode.

Good fortune, big hairy spider. Alas, we didn’t get to fully appreciate your personal persona.

Neighbor lady: “Aww! A BIG HAIRY SPIDER!”

She’ll be fine, but her vocabulary seems to be limited to Onomatopoeiaese for the time being.

That’s a rather interesting language choice for 5 a.m. in the morning.

As for the spider, he seemed to regard her “musical commentaries” as a form of encouragement, and often sang right along with her whenever she caught sight of him.

So then, ready-for-the-day Pawpaw got into his wheelchair, when the right front wheel decided to fall all to pieces.

That’s not a good career choice.

But Pawpaw knew just what to do.

He likes saying that. And through faith, his old, broken-down, worthless wheelchair turned into The Wheelchair of Faith, a heavenly-sportster wheelchair like no other that only the Pure in Heart can see. To everyone else, it’s just an old wheelchair of nondescript.

But little Gracie, far above in the highest of all heavens, cried.

“This isn’t right!” she bemoaned. “Something must be done about this!”

Oh my, tears in heaven? Somehow, her darling little sisters knew.

Luna stopped her cherubic twirling. She jumped off the rainbows, plunging through the iridescent clouds and mists, and shot to her sister’s side like a precious warrior of hope.

Likewise, little Rosie ceased her celestial skip roping and hopscotching, said “adieu” to her adorable playmates, and rushed off with, “My sister needs me!” The little zip-zoomer shot off like a cherished guardian of charity.

The two little angels of concern thunder-popped one on each side of their oldest sister, embracing her tight.

“We’s here!” exclaimed Rosie, the angel of unblemished dreams.

“Tells us what is wrong,” said Luna, the angel of comforting assurance.

Gracie, the angel of unmerited blessings and merciful compassion, answered not with words, but with a gesture toward their dear Pawpaw.

Her tears fell.

And as they fell, they converted into diamonds of incalculable worth.

Rosie stared and blinked. “Pawpaw?”

Luna exclaimed, “Oh cool! A heavenly-sportster wheelchair, how awesome!”

But little Rosie suddenly fell to her knees and began to cry. And her tears turned into rubies beyond all value.

And Luna, now understanding, stood up straight and did say, “It isn’t fair!” she held back her tears, “It’s just a wheel… just a stupid wheel…”

She held onto Gracie and said to her, “It’s already an old, broken down, piece of junk, and now… somehow, it’s worse.”

And Luna, her tears transfigured into priceless moonlit sapphires.

Gracie glowed, slowly rose into the air, and her sisters watched as she was so suddenly that she was not there!

Rosie gasped, “Where’d she go?”

Luna said solemnly, “For help, for permission, for sure.”

The sisters looked at each other and shouted, “Aunt Bee!”

Luna held Rosie’s determined hand. “Wait! Let’s give them a moment.”

But the little angel’s eyes changed her mind.

Now the two little cherubs were not as quick as their older sister, but they could go so fast that their wakes were known to rumble-pop like tiny thunders and startle the saints and doers of good. And restraint, at this particular time, they had not.

But Aunt Bee was prepared. As the two little gals nearly crashed into her heavenly porch like wayward comets of not-being-at-all careful, she waved her hands and froze them squishy, as if they had landed in transparent gelatin.

Rosie asked, “What happened?” She sniffed. “Smells like cherry.”

Luna saw Gracie sitting on Aunt Bee’s saintly swing.

“Aw, no fair!”

Aunt Bee whispered, “Now you two settle down a bit. Gracie and I have some things to discuss. You’ll find confectioneries of consolation in the kitchen. Now let’s be proper little angels.”

She liberated the rambunctious duo, and they strolled into her kitchen as polite little angels should. But then from the kitchen there was a loud, “Squirrelly!”

Well, Squirrelly got all the “attentions, loves, and affections” that a baby squirrel can handle, and a bit more. In the meantime, Aunt Bee and Gracie had a heart-to-commiseration discussion of note.

Luna came sneaking out quietly to eavesdrop; however, Rosie dropped those eaves but good when she tripped over Squirrelly’s lying-about chew toy.

In the meantime, back down on the deficientous earth, Pawpaw was attempting to go about his day. His backup wheelchair, as he recalled, had been permanently misplaced when he allowed a convalescent home to borrow it. He sighed and looked at the skeletal remains of his old, old wheelchair of former decades.

Thinking of the pure and holy, he turned away.

Life and hope, they did continue. And he had been presented with this gift. So Pawpaw would continue on.

And at that moment, the Lil’ Debils decided to harangue and harass the solitary Pawpaw. Grumbles, Sneek, Snark, Sneer, Snide, and even Snub did their very worst blather and noisome ramble, but to absolutely no effect.

Snub bewailed, “I don’t think he can hear us?”

Sneek hollered, “Oh, vainations! He’s ignoring us!”

They all yelled and howled and hooted and even convoluted, but got no attentions or intentions from our dear Pawpaw, for he looked to the high heavens for tomorrow.

They fudged and flopped and did drop, just to persecute and annoy. But the Scripture Pawpaw did deploy, and scattered those little devils back to their emptied delusions.

Detecting their defeat, the little devilinas — the Hot Stuffins — sashayed with a clamour into the void. Bratty, Temptina, Tattytell, Sassy, Saucy, and even Chaotica did their worst. But by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, and by all such things as these, he did them disperse.

Dull Stuffins obtused, even with all her fright times two, and if anyone could obtuse, it was her — and again. But even the brassy Brashina could make no dent. So Pawpaw truthed them but good, until downstairs was their only relent.

Poor Pawpaw. Although victorious, he could take no more and fell asleep.

After Aunt Bee’s little talk, silent Gracie stood up and took a walk. And she came to the Edge of Forever, her favorite place to watch over Pawpaw. Aunt Bee distracted her sisters so that they’d let her be.

There she found her tears that had turned into diamonds. She bent down to examine them and picked them up, placing them into her pockets along with Luna’s tears that had turned into sapphires and Rosie’s tears that had turned into rubies.

Then she leaned forward and tumbled off the Edge of Forever.

Both Luna and Rosie gasped.

Luna worried, “But she can’t do that, she doesn’t have permissions!”

Rosie expressed, “And it’s not even an emergencies!”

But Aunt Bee calmed them. “Don’t worry, as long as she sticks to the rules, she’ll be fine.”

Because she didn't have permission, Gracie could not show herself to Pawpaw as he slept there, exhausted. The rules concerning miracles were a bit too complicated for her to understand all of them.

She looked at the skeleton of the old, old wheelchair and at Pawpaw’s now broken-down wheelchair. She quietly took both wheelchairs apart, and then put them back together while he slept.

When Gracie finished, there was now one wheelchair, pieced together from the good parts of both old chairs. And all the broken-down parts were set aside. Somehow she did it. There was now one old but no longer broken-down wheelchair.

And she didn’t have to break any of the rules to do it!

But alas… one wheel was still missing.

If only she could miracle.

She tossed the diamonds, sapphires, and rubies onto the floor, waved her hands, and turned them into a perfect wheel of gems for Pawpaw.

But then she sighed. To do this much was fine… but to give it to Pawpaw, she didn’t have permission.

She fell to her knees and cried, “Dear Jesus, Beauty of God.” She held up the wheel made of gems. “Please let me give him this wheel, but if not, Your will be done.”

But receiving no permission, Gracie had to leave.

Then little Luna and little Rosie cried out to Mr. Jesus, “Oh Lord Jesus, give Pawpaw a wheel!”

Luna cried, “It’s just a wheel, Mr. Jesus, just one little wheel.”

And Rosie prayed, “Peas have mercy on our Pawpaw, peas, Mr. Jesus.”

But no answer came. So the little angel turned around, said a quiet goodbye, and returned to Heaven, but ever so slowly.

Luna said, “Aunt Bee, why didn’t Jesus answer?”

Aunt Bee said, “Oh, but He did answer. And the answer was, ‘No.’ He always knows what He is doing, as we shall see.”

Rosie said anxiously, “I want to see! I want to see right now!”

Aunt Bee said, “Be patient, little one. It may take some time. But Jesus is always right, no matter what.”

Gracie arrived back at Aunt Bee’s, saying to them, “God’s will be done.” Then she went on inside Aunt Bee’s holy country mansion.

After a while, Pawpaw woke up. He looked at his wheelchair. Something was different. Broken parts lay neatly to one side.

He moved the wheelchair around a bit and then laughed. “It works! It’s not broken anymore!”

It creaked and moaned a bit, but obviously it was in much better shape. And even noticing the missing wheel, he proclaimed, “Thank you, Jesus.”

When Rosie heard this, she asked Aunt Bee, “But it’s still broken? Why is he thanking Jesus for the broken-down wheelchair?”

Aunt Bee said, “Because he is thankful for God’s mercy and for what he’s got. After all, an old wheelchair is better than none. Besides, it only looks broken.”

Luna started to cry.

Aunt Bee said, “Dear Luna, it will be all right. Remember, you said it yourself. It’s just a wheel. Trust in the Lord, Luna, and don’t rely on your own understanding.”

Now Pawpaw was as happy as could be, relatively. Having “survived” the onslaught of little devils, and devilinas besides, he scooted about in his now-working wheelchair… minus one wheel. But that was enough, and much better than before.

The girls believed that Jesus knows best, but poor little Rosie, she just did not understand. So she toddled off to ask Jesus Himself.

But Luna said to her, “Rosie. We must believe.”

And Rosie answered, “I do believe. But I also believe that Jesus wuvs me and everybodies. And that means Pawpaw too. So I believe my hearts is going to ask more harder.”

Well, you have to admit, it’s hard to argue with that logic… or with those eyes of hers.

She had hardly finished when Jesus appeared. He picked little Rosie up, placed her on His shoulders, and off they flew. Jesus showed her wonders, He showed her love, He showed her mercy, and He showed her peace. So when He returned, she was fast asleep, cradled in His benevolent care.

Luna followed them as He gently tucked Rosie into her carapace cloud of secure promises.

Then to Luna's surprise, He picked her up, and off they flew. Jesus showed her everything that Rosie had seen. Because she was older, He explained to her the hope of the ages. And when they returned, she thought she’d be awake, but the comfort of overwhelm positioned her into peace.

As Jesus tucked in the little angel, Gracie walked up behind Him and held onto His robe. He took her little hand, and showed her the little children of faith. And, then, placing her high on His shoulders, He showed her off to the Hosts of Heaven, rejoicing over Gracie with joy and with that joy He sang over her. (Zephaniah 3:17)

So it was Gracie who was now asleep in His arms, with a smile and holy delight, He sat down next to Aunt Bee on her porch swing.

Far below down on earth, and at that very moment, Pawpaw was spiritually upon his knees, thanking God for His Christ. And he hummed to himself Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

Treasures in Heaven