God is doing some amazing things. As an example, He gets my attention in ways that I would never dream, ask or imagine.
Life is short, we are a mist, only appearing for a short time, and then we're gone...but God's Word...lasts forever...because it is living. This is an amazing concept--one I don't completely understand, but I do completely believe!
Life is short. Live it on purpose. Do I do a good job at this? Probably, there is much room for improvement...I do enjoy life, most of the time. I look for the good.
I strive to be 'heavenly minded'...and think about God and heaven and obedience and mercy and His unending grace. His amazing grace.
His abundant blessing. His provision in my life. God's plan to use even me in the 'grand scheme of things' for this planet while my personal 'mist' is here.
In the past month, I've spoken twice publicly, and had many conversations privately about my personal relationship with Jesus...God's Son.
My choice to believe, His choosing me.
My choice to 'act on my faith'...His choice to bless that effort, and increase my faith.
Amazingly, these are things that speak to people who are searching for 'something' to fill that 'God-sized' blank space in their soul.
My story is really no different than anybody else's ...more tragic than some at this point, not as tragic as others. However, in spite of the tragedies, I find is rest. Rest in a faithful, loving God...and many never find that rest. They seek it other places...or perhaps they do not even know that's what they are looking for.
You see, I believe that true rest comes from knowing Jesus SO well that complete trust in Him and His faithfulness negates worry! Bad things happen here, this isn't heaven. But, if we're listening to the Holy Spirit's nudging us, we can witness some amazing things!--really!
In real life it looks like this:
There are so many new faces in the place I worship each week. This is great.! It is also a little overwhelming...the constant question becomes: where do I begin to try to connect?
I almost walked past a lady just this morning. 'Almost' is key to that sentence: but, I felt like, 'she's the one I'm supposed to connect with today'...so, I introduced myself, lent an ear for a few moments to get 'her story'...and, within the first few words of our conversation, I knew she was the 'God-appointed connection' for me at that moment!
After I told her my name, she told me hers, and then she said: "You're the grief lady?"...
I suppose that's one way to describe me...but the amazing thing is, that's the second time this week that's happened to me...the other time I was in a local restaurant.
My point here is this: as much as we dread talking about death & dying...it happens...and because it happens, there will be those left behind to grieve the loss that that death caused.
If we love deeply, as we are told to do in scripture, then when we lose people that we love deeply, we are going to grieve. And, no, no matter what our culture says, we will not be 'over it' in the three days we might get for 'bereavement leave.' It takes time. It is intentional this journey of grief. We don't do it like those who have no hope, but there are still things we must deal with for good mental health and a good 'eternal perspective.'
I'm thinking I need to start just a 'grief blog'...Any thoughts? Should I? What do YOU think? Leave a comment...PLEASE!
2 comments:
Personally, I think the grief blog would be a very good thing, and very useful to help deliver God's wonderful love through "new" ways. I know there are times that I need the grief support that I never got the chance to use (or admitted that I needed) Grief is such a hard thing to just bring up that if there was a blog it might be easier to open up discussions and thoughts.
However, I don't want you to stop this blog in order to do it. I get such a joy each time I see a new post on here. You may not realize how much of an impact you ave at times, but God uses you in my life through these blogs in a strong and powerful way.
That sounds like an inspired idea to me. So often Christians particularly feel a need to give the appearance of being "fine" when inside there is such pain and a huge hole where someone used to be. How helpful it is to have someone's footsteps to follow who knows both the pain and the comfort the Lord will bring.
Post a Comment