What is this thing called LIFE? How can it be that the life of my 18-year-old friend comes to a screeching halt one Thursday with the words “brain tumor.” Her dreams are on hold and a long recovery is ahead of her. How can it be that at the same time we celebrate the arrival of a baby daughter to parents who first experienced a mis-carriage. And the joyful news of a second child, a baby girl, who was born into a family whose arms remained empty for the first thirteen years of marriage.
Hearing the anguished prayer of a parent who prayed for healing for his daughter made me think – How did the father heart of God weep when His Son asked to have the “cup of suffering” removed from Him, knowing that it wasn’t something He could grant?
On Monday when my friend was in 10.5 hour surgery we received news that my oldest brother was in a bad accident, only he emerged unhurt from a totaled work vehicle and the 2 occupants who had tragically taken the risk of beating the oncoming traffic were life-flighted to a hospital.
And today we received news of the death of my cousin’s brother-in-law, who was snatched from life very suddenly, leaving behind a wife and 7 children.
My first thoughts are to long for Eden and the perfection that was there. Why do we have pain and suffering? Why was sin for Adam and Eve even an option? But that is not the real answer. Is it possible that the darker the night, the brighter the morning? We may not even see the brightness of morning until we reach the perfection of Heaven and our tears are wiped away. But in the meantime God’s presence is as real as the wind that whips our hair. His strength and grace in real in trying times. We can’t explain it but we can feel it.
The rays of morning are in sight for my 18-year-old friend who was told on Thursday that her tumor was benign. Her faithfulness to God even in her hours of continued pain is a tremendous testimony to the strength of her relationship to God.
God is great and
God is good andWe thank Him for this_________( fill in the blank )
There are tears in my throat….
Only God can make everything right
Amazing truths. I hope that one day when we get to Heaven I will see how big God really is and all this stuff called life will make sense.
Well written, sister!
This is beautiful. Thank you for the reminder to look into the face of Jesus, even when He brings us pain. Your trust in His goodness and the fact that yes, morning *will* one day dawn, is a powerful reflection of your own walk with Him! Some difficult things our own family is processing right now…it’s difficult to not become hardened to His goodness in the middle of a storm…this was what i needed!
thank you so much for sharing this!! it’s been rough lately, and i’ve wondered why. somehow, i need to trust that He has a plan, and that He loves me. blessings on you in your trials!!
How beautiful! And I love the picture–looks very classy and modern all at the same time.
Praise the Lord!
Good post. Good questions. I’m right there with you on wanting to go back to Eden. God created a beautiful, perfect world for us to live in, but we chose sin. But we have the hope of the New Jerusalem! A place of perfection, perhaps even more so than Eden, because if we make it there, it will be because we had the choice and we chose to live according to God’s standards instead of sin’s. Keep striving, girl! “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus! Life’s trials will seem so small, when we see Christ! One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows will erase. So bravely run the race, till we see Christ!”