Ann Farabee

By Ann Farabee

It was 8 a.m. The 20-minute drive felt like an eternity. I knew I was way too sick to be driving alone. But, I did not want to spread this illness to my family.

I had zero doubt that it was COVID. As I drove up for the test, I was so afraid for the nurse who administered it. I know she was protected — but still. She was my hero that day.

The drive home. Back in bed. Away from my family. Awaiting results.

COVID was a stranger to me at that time — I knew no one who had it. I had social distanced. My family had stayed home as much as possible. I had worn my mask faithfully everywhere, and I was thankful that others did, too.

But with the masks on, I sure missed seeing smiles. Eye contact was even disappearing. Some days the world seemed a little cold. Other days it felt loving and unified — as we were all going through the pandemic. In some ways, it felt like being apart together.

At 8 p.m., I checked the healthcare website for my results.
They were there.

Molecular pathology:
COVID-19 ORF1
Positive (Abnormal)

COVID-19 E-gene
Positive (Abnormal)

The words Positive (Abnormal) were hauntingly written in red.

It was shocking. COVID-19 was supposed to be something that I watched on the news — not something I had.

At that moment, my faith was very weak.
My first thoughts as I stared at the words — I’m going to die.

An uncontrollable stranger had invaded my body.
I did not know how to get rid of it.

What if my family gets it?
This was not just about me.
It was also about them — ages 13, 16, 35 and 72.
I need help. We need help.

It was dark — in more ways than one. Isolated in my room, I begged, “God, I feel like you still have a work for me to do. Please let me stay here to do it.”

How was I going to fight this? I would not — I could not — let it overtake my body.

Exhausted and sick, sleep finally came. But in the middle of the night I awoke to these words from Exodus 14:14 being put in my spirit, “You don’t have to fight. I will fight for you. You just need to be at peace.”

The word of God clearly spoken to me in the middle of one of my darkest nights.

Fighting is good, but God fighting for me is better.

My COVID journey had begun.

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing my COVID journey.

Contact me with questions, comments, or prayer requests at annfarabee@gmail.com .

By Ann Farabee

My goal: Deep clean a room each day until my house was perfectly clean.

Yes, I had learned the term “deep clean” and really wanted to find an occasion to use it.

Day 1. Room 1. As my project progressed, I noted that one room takes entirely too long!

Day 2. Room 2. Realizing my motivation had begun to dwindle, I gave myself a pep talk, “Time to go to the next room!” Then, a little more excitedly, “Time to go to the next room!” Yes, I talk to myself.

As I was beginning to work, I saw a rainbow on the floor in front of me that had been created by the light coming through the beveled glass in the entrance doorway.

After looking at it for a second, I headed into the next room.

God was obviously already at work, for there was a rainbow on that floor, too. It was even more magnificent than the first one! The colors were so vivid! And…there was no beveled glass in sight to create it.

As I worked, God began to speak to my heart through the rainbows.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. In my Father’s house are many rooms,” were the words that kept being whispered into my spirit.

I looked back and could still see both rainbows, even though they were in different rooms.

Seeing the two rainbows had made me feel like I was looking at a bridge providing a beautiful connecting link between earth and heaven.

Amazed, I just shook my head.

The rainbows.

I had been in one room.

God had sent a rainbow.

It had been so beautiful.

I had stepped into the next room.

There had been a rainbow there, too.

It was even more beautiful.

I knew the connection God was making in my heart.

In every room — in every part of our lives — God is with us.

Our time in our room on earth is beautiful.

It is filled with God’s beauty.

It is filled with God’s spirit.

It is filled with rainbows to remind us that His promises are true.

Genesis 9:13 tells us that God set the bow in the clouds. Can you envision that? God Himself setting the rainbow in the clouds just for us — to remind us that His Promises are true! That’s what I call a rainbow moment!

Then, one day, when it is time to leave our earthly home for our heavenly home, it will be like stepping into the next room.

The next room will be even more magnificent than the earthly room we are now living in, for it will be filled with colors that go beyond the spectrum of colors that we now know — for we will be with the light of the world — our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ!

No, my cleaning project was not completed. The first room and the next room were enough.

This was not my first rainbow moment, but it was a good one.

What’s your rainbow moment?

I would love to hear about it.

Contact me at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. 

By Ann Farabee

I recently heard an account from a fifth-grade teacher about a student accidentally bringing the family’s remote control to school one morning. I immediately envisioned a desperate family member at home diligently searching for it throughout the entire school day. For once, looking underneath the couch cushions was not going to be the answer.

Remote controls can be pretty important. I have learned that when I am interrupted while watching a movie or video, I can often press a “pause” button, and come right back to it later.

Sometimes — in all areas of our lives — we need to practice using the pause, don’t we? Some of my favorite times to pause are: When my patience is impatient. When I need a break. When I remember I should be praying more. When I remember that family is more important than work. When I need to take time to serve others. When I feel overwhelmed. When someone is having a face-to-face conversation with me, and I realize I keep looking down at my phone.

A pause can provide peace.

A pause can provide perspective.

A pause can prioritize priorities.

A pause can produce productivity.

A pause can provide perception of purpose.

And, a pause can provide pleasure. On most remote controls, the word play is either connected to the pause button, or is very close by. This close connection between pause and play should encourage you to pause and play. How you play is up to you. One example of a way to pause and play would be to pause and play with your children or grandchildren. That usually provides great pleasure.                                          

Just in case, you are not familiar with the remote buttons — or use them infrequently — here is what they may look like:

     <  ||  >

The first button ( < ) will take you back to the part you missed. That may or may not be important. You decide. Keep Philippians 3:13 in mind: Forgetting those things that are behind, and reaching forward to those which are before.

The last button ( > ) will move you forward, but don’t go too fast. You may miss out on something. Keep James 4:14 in mind: What is your life? It is a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

The middle button ( || ) is the pause. It is in the middle for a reason, because quite often, you need to press pause when you are right in the middle of something. Keep Ecclesiastes 5:18 in mind: It is good and comely for one to eat and to drink and enjoy the good of all his labor.

Ready to press pause? Locate the pause button. Place your finger on the button, and press pause! Enjoy.

Pause is powerful. Don’t be afraid to use it!

As for the student that had the remote control with her at school — the item that had been so important earlier at home became useless when it was no longer close to its source. Just like in our lives — whether it is work, rest, or play, God is our source. So, be sure to pause during your day — and spend time with him!

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at  annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.

By Ann Farabee

Some things are just hard to say, aren’t they?
Here are my top three:

1. I need help.

We may often need help, but fail to ask. We may fail to ask because we may feel we should be able to handle anything on our own. Or we may not want to admit our limitations. Or we may not want to bother someone by asking for help.

The reality is that it not only takes confidence and courage to be independent, but it also takes confidence and courage to be dependent. Whether in our home life, our work life, or just life in general, we need to learn to ask for help. Refusing to ask for help when needed is cheating someone out of a chance to help.

We need to be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know we need help, and brave enough to ask for it.

James 2:14-17 says that to help, we must take action.
Galatians 6:2 says if we carry the burdens of others, we will fulfill the law of Christ.

2. I was wrong.

We may be wrong, but fail to admit it. We may fail to admit it because it can be hard to acknowledge responsibility and say that we are sorry. Often our pride and emotions get in the way. We should be humble enough to recognize our mistakes, courageous enough to admit our mistakes, and wise enough to correct our mistakes.

It takes courage and strength to admit our wrongs to someone, but doing so shows that we value that person. The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest. Ben Franklin said that we should never ruin a good apology with an excuse.

Admitting wrong and saying that we are sorry may not change the past — but it can change the future. It can be like superglue — and fix anything.

Psalm 51:3 tells us we should admit our wrong.
Matthew 5:23-24 tells us that if someone has something against us, we should go make peace with that person.

3. Worcestershire sauce.

Let me try again — Worst-a-sheer sauce? Wor-shure-sire sauce? Woo-ster-sheer sauce? Wer-chess-ter sauce? Were-chester shire sauce? Woo-ster sauce?

I know. I know.
It is so hard to say.
I said it wrong.
I am so sorry.
I need help saying it.
Can you help me?

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.

By Ann Farabee

I sat down beside my four-year-old granddaughter to watch her enjoy some chunks of watermelon I had put in a bowl for her. As soon as she took the first bite, juice began rolling down her chin onto her neck, her shirt, her shorts, the chair and the floor. I grabbed a napkin, as she looked toward me and said excitedly, “It tastes sweeter than it did last time.”

It seemed more like juiciness to me, but the sweetness was definitely flowing everywhere as I began to wipe her chin.

The watermelon, according to the book of Hope, was a little sweeter than it had been the last time.

I totally understood.
For it reminded me of my life.
Of many of our lives — especially over the last few months.

The simple things we may have never even noticed before, somehow now seem to have become a little sweeter.

Things like:

Walking in the doors of our church to worship — a little sweeter.
Walking in a grocery store — a little sweeter.
The new school year beginning — a little sweeter.
Going to work — a little sweeter.
Getting together with a friend — a little sweeter.
Spending time with our family — a little sweeter.
Walking in our neighborhood — a little sweeter.
Watching a child eat watermelon and not worrying about the juice — a little sweeter.

Yes. It is flowing everywhere — the sweetness of our lives.

She then reached into the bowl, handed me a chunk, and said, “You wanna taste it and see?”

When I heard her words, I answered with these words, “I sure do.” I tasted it. I saw. I was a bit too proper to let the juice run down my chin, but tears were running down my cheeks, as I said, “Yes, Lord. I have tasted and I have seen that You are good. And… it sure does get sweeter every day.”

Psalm 104:34 says, “My meditation of Him shall be sweet.”

Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in him.”

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at  annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.

By Ann Farabee

Sometimes, we have tough seasons in life.
Can we make it?
Yes. We can.

God sits on the circle of the earth. God thinks of us more than there are grains of sand. God holds our right hand. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. His power is absolute!

We can do things we have never done.
We can face situations we have never faced.
We can grow spiritually.
We can prosper financially.
We can thrive emotionally.
We can strengthen ourselves physically.

Sometimes, it feels as though a difficult season will never go away. But, God brings us peace in the promise that it is just a season. It will pass. We can make it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ten verses later, it says that God has made every thing beautiful in his time.

Every thing means every thing.

Genesis 8:22 says that as long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, winter and summer, day and night.

The word season can mean for a while.

Being in a difficult season for a while is when we need to hang on, pray fervently, ask others to pray for us, and trust God in the process. It is only for a while.

Remember:
• Seasons remind us that change is a part of life.
• No season lasts forever.
• The season we are in is not the end of the story.
• We can learn from the season we are in — and prepare for the next.
• Seasons that are hard to endure help make us who we are.
• We need to hold the previous seasons in our hearts — for we have grown from them.
• Remnants of the previous seasons will remain. That is good.
• Seasons pass. Lessons from them last a lifetime.
• In every season — God is still God.

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at  annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.