Shut In – Day 281: Giving Thanks for Signs of Hope

Happy Thanksgiving Day! Today it is just the four of us at home, but we hope to enjoy some extended family time tomorrow. And we still plan to find ways to make today a celebration.

But rather than focus on the amazing history of the American Thanksgiving celebrations in this post (see past years for that), today marks another key point in much more ancient history. 

I am still tracking with Noah on the ark.

The last time we checked in, he was sending out scout-birds to get an idea of the state of the flood-ravaged earth. That began two weeks ago. Since the birds did not find anywhere to live other than the ark, Noah set himself to wait another week.

Imaging his joy and thanksgiving when the dove came back with “a freshly plucked olive leaf” in her beak! There was finally a sign of life off of the ark!

We really cannot picture the impact of this one leaf after all those months of death, destruction and isolation. But try to imagine a winter stretching for 11 months with no sign of green… not even a spruce tree or hardy vine to add color to an empty prairie where sky and land are all the color of old snow. You have been kept indoors by the weather the entire 11 months. Even if you had neighbors, you would not have been able to get out to visit them. (Read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “The Long Winter” for just a partial, but powerful, example of this.)

Then after eleven months unlike anything experienced before or since in the history of the world… you finally see an olive leaf! Praise God!!!

Now, remember that God had shut Noah and his family into the ark, and Noah was still waiting on God’s timing to exit. So we come to today…

“Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.” – Genesis 8:12

This was a day to celebrate! There were clear signs of life and hope in the world!

Even when we are living through dark and lonely days, God eventually sends those signs of hope. What are yours today?

A few of mine after nearly 10 years since my health completely crashed include:
- I find myself trotting up the stairs some days!
- Piano practice has become a joy again since I resumed several days a week in October.
- My mind can have more capacity for language study than for years past.
- Chemical exposures have less effect on my body and brain.

And yes, this has all changed since getting the mold out of our house. It was, and still is, so much work and expense… but so worth it for my mom, sister, and me. We are grateful to God!

See previous posts in series here:

Part I: The Lord Shut Him In
Part II: Day 10: The Animals
Part III: Day 20: The Man Noah
Part IV: Day 30: The Walls
Part V: Day 40: What God Says... He Does
Part VI: Day 70: After the Crisis
Part VII: Day 100: When Waiting Turns to Years
Part VIII: Day 150: Touch Down!
Part IX: Day 181: Survival Mode while Shut In
Part X: Day 227: Land, Ho!
Part XI: Day 267: Testing the Waters

Next post: 
Part XIII: Day 319: A Birthday with a View

olive leaf photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash