Tag: Death

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

God’s Mysterious Ways

Chocolate Castles3 Comments

A little over a month ago, one of my dearest friends lost her 20 year old grandson, Jared, due to a sudden illness. So many questions evolved from this event that was and still is looked at as a tragedy.  Jared was such a precious Christian young man, who lived his life, not for himself, but for God and for others. During the weeks after his death, stories began to be heard of how Jared’s influence had touched so many lives. Friends and family, knowing that they could, no matter the pain and suffering they were experiencing, still always trust God’s Hand, even in the middle of this heartache. I had received a text from Cora telling me that, when we could talk, she wanted to share a story of how God was being glorified in Jared’s death. Well, today I was blessed to be able to hear the story. After hearing it, I ask permission from Cora and Becky to share it with you, as we always need to be sharing how God works in ways which only He can orchestrate.

Because Jared and his brother Andrew use to work in the summers with younger boys at a gym, coaching, this particular gym held a fund raiser this past Saturday in honor of Jared. They had  Becky, Jared’s mom, to come say a few words about Jared, which she so willingly did. During the break of Becky speaking, (she had to speak to two different groups of people, so had some time before she spoke the second time) a young lady came up to Becky and Cora and ask if she could share something with them. When Becky responded with, “yes, of course, how can we help you”, the young lady said, “oh no, I don’t need anything, but I just had to share something with you.” She proceeded to tell them that she had never been in a church before attending Jared’s memorial service and that she was just so impressed with how Becky and Darren had been able to speak so lovingly about the Lord and His faithfulness  in front of almost 2000 people about Jared. This young lady,  who saw Jared at the gym, when he was there working ,went on to say, how she was so impressed with the way everyone spoke that day of the Lord and how much He meant to them. That because of Him, they were able to have a peace that surpassed any understanding. That God’s love was so evident in the young people that gathered that day to celebrate his life. She knew from seeing Jared at the gym, that what everyone was saying about Jared was true. As she concluded her story , getting more excited with each word, that every since Jared’s service, she had gone to church every Sunday (except one, when she was out of town) .Cora said that this young lady was just elated that it was Saturday, which meant that she would getting  to go to church again that next day.

When Cora relayed this story to me, I began to cry, thinking  to myself, “shouldn’t I get that excited every week that I get to go to God’s House?” We take so much for granted and sometimes church becomes something we “need to do, or have to do” because we feel the need to honor Him. But does it honor Him when we simply go because we are suppose to?

God’s House is a building,  yes, but it is so much more. It is a place to not only gather with other Christians who want to corporately worship our Lord, but a place to bring our hearts and to surrender our wills to His. A place of prayer.  A time of quietness to be thankful for a God who has loved us so much that we want to be in His house. It should never be about us;about being entertained. It should be a time where our hearts and minds are completely yielded to Him and empty our selves of any pride, anger, bitterness or any other thing that takes our minds off of Him. Yes, this young lady’s testimony was a great reminder to me that, truly, there are people around us each day, who  have never heard about the Good News of Christ’s great love for us. That He will give us everything we need when we go through those tough times. That those tough circumstances will be much easier to handle if we don’t wait to call on God, just when we need him, but that every day, we are learning to trust and love our Creator, so that, in those tough times, we are able to feel His presence and know that He is walking through them with us.

Cora had told me that she had been wondering how God would be more glorified by Jared’s death than He would have been by his life. This is just one of those stories that is showing them that answer, and the answers just keep coming.

Psa 103:2,22 “Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things He does for me. 22. Praise the Lord, everything he has created, every where in his kingdom. As for me, I, too, will praise the Lord.”

As per Becky, when I ask her if she minded me sharing this story, “we don’t want to miss any opportunity to bring God glory in what He is accomplishing through our pain & grief. That there is Hope, so that we and others know it is NOT in vain.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Asa 147: 11 “the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.”

 

Daily Thoughts

Faith & Failures

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

Last week my mom, age 92 passed away. Very peacefully, with no suffering. Knowing that I wanted to write about her life, I had to give it some thought as to what to say. Being an only child, my growing up years were filled with lots of memories of people coming to live with us. There was always someone at church that, for many reasons, needed a place to live for a while. We had cousins from Michigan, missionaries, her Mother-in-law, my Aunt Gladys, after losing her husband. The list goes on and on. I felt that the extra bedroom, was always filled with someone. There were years that I know my parents really struggled financially, relationally and physically. Growing up, I remember thinking that when I was married with children, I would do everything totally different from how my parents did. Probably every child thinks that. My parents were always involved in church activities and I have such sweet memories of parties that were held at our home, which always involved lots of food. My parents loved God and even though our home wasn’t always as peaceful as it should have been, there was always the knowledge that was imparted to me that God was always to be first in our lives.

Over the last week, I have thought back to some of the things which my mom taught me, which at the time, I felt that she was just being “silly” and didn’t think she knew what she was talking about. As I have matured, I have often thought about her trying to instruct me in following God’s path for my life. It was sad that my mom spent many years as a very unhappy person.  Looking back, sometimes I feel that maybe she always wanted people in our home so that she wouldn’t have the time to think about her situation, or having to deal with it.

The last few days I have heard some sermons on forgiveness, which was what I have been dealing with for many years regarding my mother. She was a good mom, and did the best she could. It became apparent after hearing these wise men preach that I truly had never forgiven her. It was always important to me that people know that there was another side to my mom which most people never saw. Now it has made me realize even more that God uses the ones who are available and willing. That we don’t have to be perfect for Him to use us. In spite of our failures, we can still be used to help others and to glorify Him. Even though I spent most of my life being emotionally afraid of my mom, I can still thank her for some of the things that are so important to me in my life and how I want to live. As Tony Evans says, “you can allow the “dents” that people put on your life and walk around mad every time you think about the hurtful “dent” or you can forgive them and walk around with an uninterrupted fellowship with God”. Isn’t it amazing how God places stories and sermons right in front of you at just the right moment.

Here are a few of the things that my mother tried to teach me.

1. She wouldn’t let me play with a ouigi board because as a Christian we are not to have anything to do with anything that has to do with “spirits”. I told her that she was being so silly, it was just a board game. Later, I understood what and why she was trying to teach me.

2. If you are well enough to go out to do anything, you are well enough to go to church.

3. Give God the first 10% of your income, 90% will go further, giving God what is due Him than 100% when you don’t. Years ago, she relayed the story of how one week, she and my dad were really broke and agreed not to tithe. That same week, their car broke down and the amount to get it repaired was the exact amount of what their tithe should have been. That was the last time they didn’t give their tithe.

4. People are right when they say that kids learn by watching, not just listening to words. I wish I would have learned that a little earlier than I did, not after my children were all grown.

5. To always keep the Sabbath holy. We were not allowed to go to movies or shop on Sunday, in fact, it wasn’t until later years that my parents would even go out to eat on Sunday, as they felt guilty making people work on. This is one of the rules I wish I had taught by “example” more when our kids were growing up.

6. To read my Bible daily and have personal prayer time.

Yes, my mother wasn’t perfect, in fact, sometimes she was truly very hard to get along with. But she loved God and she loved me and I just want to tell her thank you for being faithful to what she felt God had for her. She, like myself, failed many times, but her faith was strong and no matter how bad her mind got at the end, she could always recite scripture. Thank you Lord for being faithful to her and thank you mother, for passing on your love of God to me!