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Showing posts with label Challenges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Challenges. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

A Grief Endured

This week the little kitten that Justus brought home died. We tried everything to help it to no avail. It was so tiny and seemed to be doing well, but it must have got an infection or something. We cried. It was precious to us and it was hard to see it suffer and see life slowly leave it's fragile fluffy body.

A few days later, I'm still grieving its loss. I am grieving over death and its presence in this world, in my life. I've seen a little of it in the death of our first child due to miscarriage, pets along the way, and relatives racked with illness and age.

I've pondered this week as to why this has hit me so hard. I've seen pets die before and not mourned so deeply. Part of the reason is because of the weariness and emotional fatigue that I am currently struggling with. But after observing my life over the years, I know at times I feel things very deeply. I think perhaps that God has made me to empathize over certain things, events, circumstance. I've seen myself enraged over the local priest who has spouted off lies to my family for generations, I've seen a show at the local gym that depicted people hurting each other  being called entertainment and been deeply grieved over the sin of our people and how degenerate we are as humans.

Perhaps God has given me a ministry of mourning. It is not a foreign concept as we see the prophets of old who grieved over the sin of their people,of Jesus who cried over Jerusalem. If nothing else, Maybe my heart simply is reflecting a bit of how God feels over sin and the effects of it in our world.

"Blessed are they that mourn...for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

It is a blessing to mourn. Why? Because of the last part of the verse! We will be comforted! And what comfort! From one who knows every nuance and depth of every pain. From one who is the epitome of all hope, delight, and consolation! From God Himself. From the Holy Spirit who dwells in us who groans out the words that we cannot find to utter. From Jesus who prays for us to the Father. From the Father who knows the pain of sending His only Son to die. From a Sovereign God in control of all things and works all for our good to His glory. What joy!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Mourning Part 2

I like to soak in the tub, sometimes for hours. I take a book or my Kindle and read and relax. It's my little get-away. Since we've been living in the RV (1 month now!) and the tub being so tiny (I can sit in it cross legged with my knees up around my ears-not really relaxing), baths have been few and quite time to myself has been precious and scarce.

We are, however, able to use the bathroom on campus here. Last night I brought my Kindle and read for a while. I was so into my book, that when I looked up, I didn't know where I was. For a split second, my brain flashed through all the tubs I had soaked in, trying to place this one. There have been a few ;)

I realized that in this tub, I lacked that homey, cozy, safe feeling I've had in other tubs that felt more like "home". I had me a good cry.

Psalm 61:1-3


 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.



Our tub at Jungle Camp

Mourning Part 1

I dreamed that I was in my old flower gardens-except they were as resplendent as the garden of Eden. I walked around and touched all the flowers and cried, asking, "Why can't I have my flowers? Why can't I be here? Why did I have to leave this?"

Then Todd got bit by a huge snake and all was chaos and panic and I woke up.

I thought I was over the loss of my flowers but I guess a bit still remains.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ