Life in the Dash

I had a very strange Monday this week.  I got to be in the middle of life and death, joy and sorrow, a beginning and an end.

God has blessed me with TWO best friends and they were at extreme places in life this week.  I received a text from my friend Angie Monday morning saying her daughter in law was in labor and they were at the hospital.  They were waiting with wonderful joyous expectation for Emma Jo to arrive.

Not thirty minutes later I received a text from my friend Elaine saying her Father in law Guy Shaw was dying.  His health had been fading for a little while but the reality of what could possibly happen that day was sinking in.

As the day went on I text back and forth with both of these dear friends.  Sharing in the excitement and praying for Abby and Emma Jo.  Empathizing and praying for the pain of my other friend as her heart broke for members of her family who came and went that day to say their goodbyes.

Texts from Angie were filled with excitement, anticipation, and longing for what was to come. Texts from Elaine were filled with sadness, grief, and memories of a life well lived.

One thing they had in common though was hope.  Angie was looking at hope in the form of what lies ahead.  A whole new life just beginning.  A story that had just begun.  A life of days filled with Gigi kisses and hugs, watching this precious little girls story in God unfold over the years.

Elaine was looking at the hope of eternity.  Knowing that even in this death there was hope.  The hope in knowing this precious man who had been like a Father to her would probably that day meet his heavenly Father.  Knowing that with the hope found in Jesus one day again she would see him in eternity.

I received a text from Angie saying Emma Jo had entered the world at 1:58 PM.  I received a text from Elaine within 30 minutes of that saying Guy had passed away.

Life, death, beginnings, and endings they are all a part of life.  I am sure you have read the saying that on each tombstone there is a date marking the beginning of our life.  For Emma Jo that was June 5, 2017.  There is also a date marking the end of our life here on earth.  For Guy that was June 5, 2017.  But more important than those dates is the little dash in between.

How we spend that dash is what matters.  Did we love those around us well?  Did we teach our children to love God?  Did we tell others about Jesus?  Did we show others Jesus in our actions?  Did we take time for people?  Did we love those around us, even the ones who are hard to love? The important thing in that dash is the people in our lives.

I was fortunate enough to get to visit Angie that night to hold Emma Jo and to get to give Angie a hug of congratulations.  I was also fortunate enough to be able to see Elaine Thursday night and give her a hug and share in her sorrow for just a moment.

Your dash is a very little mark, how will you spend it?

John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."

The Ultimate Time Traveler

God is the ultimate time traveler, did you ever think about that?  I have been praying about some heavy stuff.  I have been praying for a miracle of healing for my friend LaDonne.  I was praying she would walk out of SLU on her own accord.  That didn't happen. She has been transferred to Herrin for therapy, which in itself is an answer to prayer.  It just isn't the answer I was praying for.

I have been praying for years for a grandchild.  I am praying for Brittany and Will in their adoption, but that hasn't happened yet either.

Not as important, but I have been praying for our house to sell for nine months.  It is still on the market.

These are things that only God can orchestrate.  Things that really are out of my control.  That can be a hard one for me, out of my control.

Brett and I were talking about this last night.  Many times when Brett and I talk or I ask him a question, I tell him "Do not give me your Pastor answer."  Brett said, "Janet, I think you forget that God lives outside of time. Two days, ten days, two years, ten years, your time frame is different than Gods. God doesn't just see the future, He is in the future. God is already in the future with us laughing and playing with this grandbaby. Ok, so it was a great pastor's answer, and it really got me thinking.

That is comforting to me, that God is already waiting in the future for me.  That he does not just see or know the future he is in the future.  He is not just the I AM, He is also the I WAS, and I WILL BE.

He is already walking in the future with LaDonne.  He already knows if she is using her legs or her arms as they walk along.  He is already in the future with Brittany and Will and this precious baby. He is already at the first day of kindergarten.

I was thinking about all of that this morning as I sat down to read my Bible.  I am reading in Exodus, that fascinating part how the ark, the table, the tabernacle, the lamp stands, and the courtyard should all be constructed.

My flesh said, you are going to find no comfort, or feel good verse here, skip on over to Psalms and Proverbs.  But, I am doing this book study on Sunday mornings with my class called "Women of the Word."  It is about how we read the Bible wrong.  How we go to it looking for answers for ourselves. When we should be reading it to find out who God is.

So, I opened my Bible and stayed in Exodus. I began reading ALL the instructions to Moses, those exact instructions down to the 1/2 foot, the type of wood to use, the colors of fabric, the exact weight in gold for each piece. The more I read, the more God said, I am a God of details.

God has every detail of LaDonne's healing and recovery already planned out.  God has every detail of this adoption and baby already planned out.  God has every detail of the sale of our house already planned out.  He said to my heart, "be patient my daughter, and trust me."

Today I am glad my God is a God who transcends time, that he is already waiting in the future for me. I am thankful my God is a God of details.  I don't have to worry or stress about the future he has already taken care of every detail.

Exodus 26:1-2 "Make the tabernacle from ten curtains of finely woven linen.  Decorate the curtain with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim.  These ten curtains must all be exactly the same size 42 feet long and 6 feet wide."

  
  

LIFE

Somewhere right now a birth Mom is giving birth to a baby she will not be bringing home.  For whatever reason, the hopes and dreams she may have one day had of being a Mom and raising a child didn't come true.  Not this time anyway, but she values life and is making a birth plan for this precious baby.

Somewhere right now a couple is in a labor and delivery room giving birth to a baby, a baby that may only live a few days or a few hours.  They have known that since the beginning of the second trimester but chose life because they know how precious life is.   They know that God has a plan for this little life no matter how short it is.  They know this baby of theirs will impact others and has a purpose.

Somewhere right now a couple is getting ready to go in the morning for IVF.  They have been trying and waiting for years for God to bless them with a child.  They chose IVF because they value life and are willing to go through shots and hormones, and financial debt just to be parents because they value life.

Somewhere right now a couple is preparing for a C-section in the morning.  They have been very quiet and somber about this birth.  This baby is a rainbow baby.  A child born after a miscarriage or loss of an infant.  They spent this pregnancy afraid to get excited, afraid of what might go wrong, afraid the joy of this baby might overshadow the precious child they didn't get to bring home.  But they tried again because they value life.

Somewhere right now parents are meeting their child for the first time.  This child may be in it's teens, it may be days old, or it may only be hours old.  They have been waiting years to meet him or her.  They have saved, and sacrificed, and raised money to bring this child home.  They have gone through the ups and downs of hope shattered, and faith tested.  They have waited and then waited some more to be able to bring this child home to their forever family.  They know the value of life.

Somewhere right now there is a woman thinking back on a decision that was made 30 years ago. Her family doesn't know, her friends don't know.  It was a time when she was young, scared, and alone. She felt like she had no one to go to, and no where to turn.  But a day doesn't go by that she doesn't wonder, what color eyes would she have had.  What would she have grown up to be. A day doesn't go by that she doesn't regret the decision that she made.  If she could go back she would do it different because she values life.      

Sometimes in the mundane of the every day we take the value of life for granted.  We forget the high price God paid for life.  When we do we devalue the cross.  God values each and every life enough, that he send His son to die on the cross, so that we could have life and have it abundantly.   We need to live each day in the abundance.

John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

It''s Scary in the Dark!

Since the weather is warm Brett and I are trying to get back in the habit of walking before work. Right now that means it is still dark when we start out. It is so hard to crawl out of bed to walk when it is dark.  We have knuckle lights but usually only turn them on if a car is coming toward us. Brett doesn't like the light bouncing around while we are walking, so we walk in the dark.

This sometimes causes me stress.  Which makes no sense, because the place we walk is the exact spot we walk when it is light.  I know the way.  I know the surroundings.  I know there are not things waiting to jump out and get me.  When it is light out, I feel no anxiety.  What makes the difference.

In the light, I can see everything around me.  In the light, a stick in the road doesn't look like a snake. In the light, the movement of the branches doesn't become something out to get me.  In the light, the hole in the road doesn't jump out and trip me,(OK sometimes it does). In the light, cars can see me better.  In the light, you can see when sudden noises are just a squirrel or bird skittering by.

THE LIGHT TAKES AWAY MY FEARS.

There is such a lesson here.  When I am walking in the light of Jesus, I should not feel anxiety either.

When I am walking in His light, I know the difference between truth and a lie.  In His light my selfishness becomes clear.  In His light, my pride stands out.  In His light, my sins are not lurking in the shadows to trip me up.  I can face them head on and deal with them.  In His light I know he loves me.  In His light, I am enough.  In His light, HE is enough.

Walking in the dark makes us anxious and afraid.  Walking in the light calms our fears.

John 12:35-36 "Jesus replied, "my light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can so the darkness will not overtake you.  Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.  Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light."
         

Life can change in a minute.

Life can change in a matter of minutes.  We all know that.  We just never really expect it to.  It just seems more like a phrase we randomly throw out. Great words of advice we give.  "Make the most of your life because it can change on a dime."

I spent the past weekend at a retreat with some ladies from my church.  I got to hear three amazing women speak about Grace, Hope, and Love.  A part of me will be forever changed by this retreat.  Some things will change by the words spoken by these three ladies, but mostly God talked to me through circumstances of the weekend.  

Our first speaker on Friday night was LaDonne.  She gave an excellent session on Grace.  She is an avid knitter and tied her whole session around knitting.  She talked first about how God knits all of us together in our mother's wombs.  She then talked about how God knits all the things that happen in our lives to form our stories. Then she talked about how our lives and stories are then knit together with others around us to create our life.

Then less than two hours later LaDonne was in an ambulance headed to the hospital unable to feel her feet or legs.  Life CAN change in a matter of minutes.

LaDonne is still in the hospital, they are running numerous tests, she has been through one surgery already, and as of now she still has no feeling from the chest down.  

I am praying for a miracle, but more than praying I am BELIEVING in a miracle.  LaDonne has some other unique and rare medical conditions, and I know God has already performed miracles in her life. In fact, it is probably a miracle that she is even still here. I usually pray KNOWING God CAN do a miracle, but allowing him the out of "if it is your will."  Actually that out really isn't for God, he doesn't need an out he is God.  The out is really for me.  So that if I pray for a miracle, and the specific miracle isn't answered my way, then I am not hurt or disappointed in God.  Then I am not questioning why isn't my faith enough to move mountains?

I listened to LaDonne on Friday night talk about another unrelated health issue they had just discovered, and she said, "but, even if he doesn't,(talking about healing), I am still excited to see what this next chapter holds.  I know this woman has the faith and strength and trust in God to love and serve her God no matter the outcome.  I also know whether LaDonne walks out of that hospital or is wheeled out God is still going to use her.

I am praying for that miracle of complete recovery.  But if it were not to happen, LaDonne would still reflect who God is.  We would see it in her life, and her actions, her love for those around her.  God would still use her, God would not have forgotten her.  Some things about her life might change and be different but her purpose, to reflect God would still be the same.  

Jeremiah 32:27 "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?"