Saturday, March 20, 2010

"There is a time..."

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:



a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build

a time to weep and a time to laugh

a time to mourn and a time to dance

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them

a time to embrace and a time to refrain

a time to search and a time to give up

a time to keep and a time to throw away

a time to tear and a time to mend

a time to be silent and a time to speak

a time to love and a time to hate

a time for war and a time for peace


What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11



*****

It was in the wee morning hours that the phone rang, this morning. Startled, I answered. It was the hubby, we had locked him out of the house. He had just arrived back from a long night at the hospital with a family in our church. The events of yesterday afternoon, led to a long wait at the local hospital and ended at the hospital in Little Rock. He and our music minister and head deacon had finally come back home after a long wait.



As he came in the door, his red eyes said it all...



"It is not good. She is not going to make it."



At that moment I felt sick. Literally thought I was going to throw up. I went and laid back down and did not move as my thoughts ran rampant. WOW! Wasn't it just last Sunday I had sat by "Mary" and her daughter at a wedding shower? They were so cute in their matching colored tops... Wednesday night, she was the mom with "pre" wedding jitters... Yesterday morning, she was the mom getting ready for a wedding... Yesterday afternoon she was "not herself" with a horrible headache... Last night she has a mass on her brain that has ruptured and is need of a miracle...



My hubby quietly says in the dark, "Moments like this make me realize how much I really do love you."



"You just never know what the next moment holds." I spoke my thoughts aloud.



This life we live is like a roller coaster ride. There are slow steps of anticipating the mountain top ahead, only to hit the valleys at full speed in seconds. It knocks us from side to side, turns our world upside down only to slow down to fulfillment at the end of the journey. We grow up knowing about the hard knocks of life. We experience them, see them, hear about them, watch them on the news. Yet nothing prepares us for those high speed valleys. Nothing. All we can do is pray our seat belt doesn't break, hold on tight and hope we survive the ride...



The hardest part of my husband's job as a minister is this... waiting for a miracle with the families. What do you say? What can you say? All you can really do is simply "be there" and pray. This is where life gets really tough. This is when you wonder how God chooses to heal and who to take on "home." This is when it takes every ounce of faith you have to continue keeping the faith.



Last week our interim pastor talked about "Hope at the end of our rope..." He said so many times we want to ask "why?" Yet, that should not be our question. Our question should be "How do you want me to respond to the situation at hand?"



"Do not try to figure out the love of God through circumstances... know who God is from His word." In other words if we search for the "whys" we will never get answers. If we chose to simply KNOW who GOD is and put our total TRUST IN HIM, then he will bring strength during the tough times.



If anything, this whole situation has reminded me of how precious life is. That we need to "stop and smell the roses" at every turn. The last few months have made me realize this more and more. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer. My nephew had an accident. We are told that one of our 18 year olds, a former member of our youth group is pregnant. Today, that same girl is praying for her mother's life. "There is a time..."



Tomorrow I leave for a mission project. Time to spend with my little family, while serving a God that I believe in. I plan on cherishing this time. A may not understand the journeyof life before me, but I am so thankful He has promised me a "happily ever after ending."



Dear friends, I pray you have a wonderful week, wrapped in the Father's love. I will be back Wednesday. Say a prayer for us...



Please continue to pray for Mary's beautiful family. Her husband has a lot on his plate right now. A pending wedding, a grandbaby on the way, two small foster kids under six years and the loss of two incomes, for Mary worked two jobs. And of course the loss of his best friend and life partner. (They took her off the ventilator this morning. Now it is a waiting game and totally in the Lord's hands.)



On a side note, our family did receive a "miracle" yesterday. My mother-in-law went to the doctor yesterday and received news that the test that they sent off, stated that she will not have to have chemo after all. They think radiation will be enough. We are doing a "happy dance," over small blessings. Thanks for all your prayers for her.



Sawyer celebrate his birthday today. I am so thankful for the miracle of him.

"There is a time..."



Do me a favor... go hug someone today and tell them how much you love them. Life is so very precious, I personally don't want to waste a moment!



Blessings and prayers.

14 comments:

Heart2Heart said...

Mich,

This message you wrote today is so relevant for today's world. We often think we have a rough estimate of the time we have left here, but in all honesty, only one knows when that is. We need to make the most of what God has created us to be, to share His love with those that matter most to Him, and learn to never take one moment for granted. There may not be a tomorrow left for any of us, which is why God tells us to not worry about tomorrow. He will only provide our needs to get through today!

Let us live with God's provisions for today!

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Tiffani said...

oh this makes my heart heavy and glad all at the same time...glad to serve a precious Lord but heavy for what this family is going through.

I love the quote: don't figure out who God is through circumstances but thru His Word.

Praying for you and this family!

Tami and Bobby Sisemore Family said...

my prayers go out to te family and to you. wat a beautiful post you wrote.
big hugs,
Tami
PRAYING JEREMIAH HOME QUICKLY
www.tillGodbringsthemhome.blogspot.com

Stacie, A Firefighter's Wife said...

That is so sad about Mary. Please keep us updated.

You are right, every breath is a gift from God. Don't take it for granted.

Amy said...

My heart and prayers go out to your friends and their family during this time. I cannot imagine. It does make you appreciate every moment.

Blessings,
Amy

Amy said...

My heart and prayers go out to your friends and their family during this time. I cannot imagine. It does make you appreciate every moment.

Blessings,
Amy

Kristin said...

Glad to hear about your MIL. I also hope you have a great time on your trip!

I know all too well how it is to have you Mom be fine one day, and dying the next. Not getting to tell her goodbye. Not understanding why. Life can be taken from us just that fast.

I also wanted to say that just your husband being there for the family has to be priceless to them. When my Mom died, we were not in church and had no one to comfort us, bring us meals, or pray for us. My Mom's death changed our lives forever though, and it led me closer to the Lord, which resulted in my husband's salvation. How I wish all those things could've happened without her having to die, but I know in my heart they wouldn't have. So, as I grieve, I also see God's perfect plan at work.

Jim said...

Sis,
Thanks for the reminders you have so aply recorded, daughter! Not an easy time all around, it seems, and yet, the God of all peace is our steadying rock of security, of hope, of defense, of supply, of healing, of literally everything that the heart can possibly need regardless the circumstances faced. And how do we maintain that peace that even passes our understanding? Philippians 4:6-9 begins by stating "be full of care for nothing, but in everything by all kinds of prayer - let your requests with thanksgiving be made to God - and His peace will keep hearts and minds through the marvelous work of Christ." (my translation) Paul then challenges us to keep our minds on all of the virtueous and praiseworthy - and the presence of the Almighty of Peace will be our companion through it all.

Thanks, daughter, for your wisdom.
Jim-Dad

He & Me + 3 said...

Praying for Mary and her family. Your post gave me chills the whole time reading it. So so true.
Praying you have a blessed time with your family.
I remember those midnight returns of my dad while growing up from him being at the hospital with church families.

Angela said...

If we chose to simply KNOW who GOD is and put our total TRUST IN HIM, then he will bring strength during the tough times.

hmmmmmmmm...these words really touched me...

Yes, I will continue to pray for Mary, her husband, her daughter who is getting married, the wee one within the womb..I will continue to pray for them during this time right now...SIGH......

Praying for your nephew and praising God for his birthday,,,

Praying for your trip...

Praising God for His touch upon your mil....and continuing to pray for her....

I thank God that He will continue to place upon our hearts what you have written, the prayers you have requested...He DOES that doesn't He?

Bringing to our attention people we don't know but He DOES..and says,,'pray precious child, pray for them right now'...He is such a wonderful Abba Father!

Anonymous said...
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Amber said...

Oh, sweetie.

I'm so sorry about the family in your church.

I'll certainly be praying. Love you like crazy.

Be safe on your mission trip. I know it wasn't exactly the Spring Break you wanted, but I hope it will be blessed anyway.

Kari said...

I am sorry to hear about Mary. I'm sure it's a very tough situation for the family right now. Your husband is a good man to be with them at this time.

The good news about no chemo is wonderful! Hope you had a safe week.

Becca~CapturingSimpleJoys said...

What a terrible thing for that poor family, definately will be praying for them.Your thoughts were beautiful.

I'm so happy to hear about your mother-in-law~praise the Lord!