…so Says Ecclesiastes 3:4
Katy (almost 9) consistently prays, “Lord help us move on.” And though this may seem unromantic, she is right.
John Piper in “Desiring God” states, “When Christ calls us to a new act of obedience that will cost us some temporal pleasure, we call to mind the surpassing value of following him, and by faith in his proven worth we forsake the worldly pleasure. The result? More joy! More faith! Deeper than before. And so we go on from joy to joy, and faith to faith.”
I have been finding that in forsaking the worldly pleasure that God has removed from me, there can be an increase in hope and joy. It is only when I am too tired to intentionally stop thinking about loss that I begin to slip into reminiscing which almost instantly produces a poisonous self-pity.
Ecclesiastes 7:10 NLT says, "Don’t long for 'the good old days.' This is not wise."
He’s right!
Randy Alcorn in “Heaven” writes, “ I don’t look back nostalgically at wonderful moments in my life, wistfully thinking the best days are behind me. I look at them as a foretaste of an eternity of better things… the best is yet to come.”
Paul models his faith this way in Philippians 3:12-14, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.”
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5 comments:
wow....
Andy,
I don't want to make you melancholy, nor take you to a place of mournful reminiscense, but I don't believe in coincidence, nor do I believe that God would ever waste a hurt. Hence, I don't think my looking at your blog on this particular day is a coincidence. I've only looked at it once before, and that was right after Theresa passed away.
The title of your entry today has me 'gob smacked', to use a term our friend Heather Bruce uses all the time.
You see, I've been wanting to tell you something that occured to me the day after Theresa died, but I wasn't sure if I should... I didn't know if it would be helpful, and I know it might sound 'Christian flakey', but I don't think so. God is so gracious and it's unbelievable how He tries to share that with us.
Anyhow- it has to do with 'dancing'. Here goes: The day after Theresa passed away (I wasn't aware of that fact when this occured) I went out for a walk by the river behind my house. I wasn't truly meaning to go to the river, I was just trying to 'get the exercise in' as quick as I could!, being 'busy, busy, busy'. Anyway, I was walking around the perimeter of one of the fields and felt drawn to the river. I was actually kind of miffed, because I 'just wanted to get the exercise in' and didn't really have time to stop. But,God's good- He called, and I went. It was a beautiful sunny day and there's a great spot where a tree slumps over and you can sit on it. Anyway, I parked myself there and watched as God overwhelmed me with His grace and majesty. He put on an absolute 'symphony of light'. I've never seen anything like it, and, from what He seemed to say to me, I won't see it the same ever again. Anyway... the light dancing across the water, directly in front of me, and seemingly coming right across at me, was absolutely unbelievable. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. It reminded me of when they do fireworks to the music in Toronto, but was way more spectacular, and I could almost put it to music- like visualizing music. The sunlight was jumping off of the water in triangles of light. Anyway, I just felt so blessed and overwhelmed that God would show me that- it was an amazing experience. I couldn't stop grinning in pure joy at it.
When I got back to the house, I got a text from Dana Houston saying she was sorry to hear that Theresa had passed- assuming that I knew. Almost instantly I started weeping- like I did when I asked Christ to save me and He answered with Ephesians 2:8,9, and I knew He was literally telling me I was saved- I knew that it was Theresa dancing on that water. That she was part of God's glory now and He was showing me just the slightest hint of how majestic that is.
That's how good our God is Andy. He gives us what we need and more than we even know we need. He answers the questions before we even realize what they are.
So you see, this is Theresa's "time to dance", and I am confident in it, because God tells me it is so. I just felt I should share that with you.
God bless you and keep you as you move forward in your pursuit of Him.
In Christ's love,
K.
Andy,
I don't want to make you melancholy, nor take you to a place of mournful reminiscense, but I don't believe in coincidence, nor do I believe that God would ever waste a hurt. Hence, I don't think my looking at your blog on this particular day is a coincidence. I've only looked at it once before, and that was right after Theresa passed away.
The title of your entry today has me 'gob smacked', to use a term our friend Heather Bruce uses all the time.
You see, I've been wanting to tell you something that occured to me the day after Theresa died, but I wasn't sure if I should... I didn't know if it would be helpful, and I know it might sound 'Christian flakey', but I don't think so. God is so gracious and it's unbelievable how He tries to share that with us.
Anyhow- it has to do with 'dancing'. Here goes: The day after Theresa passed away (I wasn't aware of that fact when this occured) I went out for a walk by the river behind my house. I wasn't truly meaning to go to the river, I was just trying to 'get the exercise in' as quick as I could!, being 'busy, busy, busy'. Anyway, I was walking around the perimeter of one of the fields and felt drawn to the river. I was actually kind of miffed, because I 'just wanted to get the exercise in' and didn't really have time to stop. But,God's good- He called, and I went. It was a beautiful sunny day and there's a great spot where a tree slumps over and you can sit on it. Anyway, I parked myself there and watched as God overwhelmed me with His grace and majesty. He put on an absolute 'symphony of light'. I've never seen anything like it, and, from what He seemed to say to me, I won't see it the same ever again. Anyway... the light dancing across the water, directly in front of me, and seemingly coming right across at me, was absolutely unbelievable. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. It reminded me of when they do fireworks to the music in Toronto, but was way more spectacular, and I could almost put it to music- like visualizing music. The sunlight was jumping off of the water in triangles of light. Anyway, I just felt so blessed and overwhelmed that God would show me that- it was an amazing experience. I couldn't stop grinning in pure joy at it.
When I got back to the house, I got a text from Dana Houston saying she was sorry to hear that Theresa had passed- assuming that I knew. Almost instantly I started weeping- like I did when I asked Christ to save me and He answered with Ephesians 2:8,9, and I knew He was literally telling me I was saved- I knew that it was Theresa dancing on that water. That she was part of God's glory now and He was showing me just the slightest hint of how majestic that is.
That's how good our God is Andy. He gives us what we need and more than we even know we need. He answers the questions before we even realize what they are.
So you see, this is Theresa's "time to dance", and I am confident in it, because God tells me it is so. I just felt I should share that with you.
God bless you and keep you as you move forward in your pursuit of Him.
In Christ's love,
K.
Well, it becomes apparent that I don't know how to 'blog', as I posted twice!!
There was one other thing that I wanted to share. It literally 'hit me' as I was trying to go to bed! LOL- way past bedtime!
I very recently came across an old plaque that I must have made in grade school?? (the wonders of moving!). Anyway, it's of a poem that I believe my Grandma Mark wrote? and it is unbelievably relevant to this whole conversation. It is called:
Safely Home
I Am home in Heaven, dear ones
Oh so happy and so bright!
There is perfect joy and beauty
In this everlasting light.
All the pain and grief is over,
Every restless tossing passed;
I am now at peace forever,
Safely home in Heaven at last.
Did you wonder I so calmly
Trod the valley of the shade?
Oh! But Jesus' love illuminated
Every dark and fearful glade.
And He came Himself to meet me
In that way so hard to tread;
And with Jesus' arm to lean on,
Could I have one doubt or dread?
Then you must not grieve so sorely,
For I love you dearly still!
Try to look beyond earth's shadows,
Pray to trust our Father's Will.
There is work still waiting for you,
So you must not idly stand;
Do it now while life remaineth
You shall rest in Jesus' land.
When that work is all completed,
He will gently call you home,
Oh, the rapture of that meeting,
Oh, the joy to see you come.
Andy thanks so much for your sharing in this blog I know it is so inspiring for me to keep going on in obedience to the Lord. Although I am experiencing a lot of fatigue associated with still doing rotating night shifts in my fifties, he always gives me what I need to do the work he makes it clear he has for me and to reach out to the people he has equipped me to help.Kelly's story is amazing and the poem she found, God's timing is so perfect. I faithfully follow Purpose driven life devotional on line and find it's timing of messages amazing! Today Dec 8th about Joseph's obedience in not understanding why he could not have a honeymoon with Mary( as they put it) but waited until Jesus was born in obedience to God. We don't have to know why these things happen only trust that as we press on towards the prize the rewards are going to far outweigh the pain!
Thats all I need to know! You and your wonderful family are in my prayers Andy. Patty
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