A Rash, a Restaurant, and a Revelation
- Amy Loflin
- Mar 3
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 24
I recently discovered I had the dreaded shingles—just as I arrived in Maui for a long-awaited, highly anticipated vacation.
I’ll be honest: there was a moment when I wanted to throw a full-blown pity party. I Googled the symptoms and feared the worst-case scenario: a ruined trip.
But I was determined not to let it win. On our first day, my husband, our friends, and I found a quaint outdoor restaurant by the sea. The sun was warm, the water impossibly blue. Yet my attention kept drifting past the view to a woman seated just over my friend’s shoulder.
Based on her appearance, I assumed she had been battling cancer. But what caught my eye wasn’t her illness—it was her smile. Bright. Intentional. Radiant. She had clipped a single Hawaiian flower into her wig, a quiet declaration: I am still here.
She was a picture of courage. Of resolve. Of joy that had chosen to stay. As I watched her, Philippians 4:12–13 came to mind. Paul speaks of learning the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living in plenty or in want. Contentment is not rooted in easy circumstances, but in Christ’s steady presence.
I realized I had been given a glimpse of this woman’s story—just a single line from a much larger narrative. I could see both her plenty and her want, her strength and her suffering, her joy and her need.
And suddenly, my angry rash, my literal thorn in the side, lost its sting.
* Links to Bible Verses referenced: Phil. 4:12, Phil. 4:13
Reflections
What “rash” or inconvenience has been taking up more emotional space than it deserves?
What would it look like to clip a “flower in your wig”, to intentionally choose joy in the middle of something hard?
“The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” — Elisabeth Elliot
Discover your story worth living
This is just one example of how God works through the connection of women’s stories. Since writing A Story Worth Living, I continue to be amazed at how He reveals His heart and strength in the women I encounter. I pray that this book sparks similar hope and unity in its readers. Grab your copy today!
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