In the Death of a Child...

A few years ago, some close friends of ours, the Webb Family, lost their daughter, Phoebe, after only 4 short days of life. In a recent sermon, we were challenged in the Word to be thankful in all circumstances. This is Marie’s response to that sermon…

“I encourage you to have the guts. Have the guts to thank Him in all things. Phoebe has made such a lasting impression on me. At times, my heart feels as if it's being eaten up and there's a giant hole there. Tears still come when I think about her, when I think about losing her. It has been hard in recent weeks as I feel like the days are rolling by so fast. I want to dig my heels in and just be frozen in time right now. Her birthday is right around the corner and sadly that means the day of her death is not far behind either. On April 20th we will celebrate her 4 little days of life...two years now. I can't believe time has blown by so quickly. And I look back on that time where I was "sleeping," devoid of any feeling in the beginning of my grief only to be awakened with anger! I was so angry!!! I can look back on that time and just cry and be thankful all over again for God's good grace and mercy. By far that has been the biggest heartbreak and hardest time in my life, though I by no means believe the rest of my life will be a bed of ease. Trials are still on the horizon. But I do know that through everything that has happened thus far, He has held fast to me. I need His mercies every second, every minute, every hour, every day! He saves me daily. I am so in love with my Lord. He has truly held me up when I should have fallen hard. Am I thankful for having to lose Phoebe? Well, I am grateful for having her. I am grateful for the struggles that I overcame and am overcoming with the help of the Lord. I may not understand why it all had to happen that way, why the Lord allowed it...but still I praise Him. With tears I praise my God and give thanks. Tears that have heartache and sadness and emptiness....but also filled with trust and love and joy! Yes, joy! I am thankful for the struggles because I began to know the character of God more. And He is so good!”

"A Haitian Vacation"

We have some family friends who moved to Haiti to serve on the mission field 10 days before the earthquake. It has been amazing seeing all of God's wonderful deeds, even through something that it catastrophic, heart-breaking, and hard to understand. Below is a link to their blog. I appreciate their dedication to what the Lord has called them to, and their candidness about these life-changing and expectation-shattering days. Take the time to go back and read their entries from before the earthquake to now. Seeing God's provision and encouragement through otherwise unthinkable moments is sweet.

Proverbs 25:25 "Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country."

www.benandkatieinhaiti.com

Appreciate the humor of the subtitle... "A Haitian Vacation"

Delivered Through Trial...Not From It...

God has never promised deliverance from all pain and trial. We can go back and look at the lives of our earliest ancestors in the faith and see hardships, uncertainty, and difficult struggles. What we also see is faith that is being refined and strengthened. Many of us spend a lot of time trying to eliminate the possibility of trial in our lives, but God tells us that trials are a part of His plan for us. Without the need of redemption, we cannot rightly appreciate the Redeemer. Without the need of saving, we cannot appreciate our Savior. Without the need of deliverance, we cannot appreciate our Deliverer. Rather than promising to grant us with charmed and care-free lives, God gives us encouragements like, "Do not be surprised when the fiery trial comes upon you as though something strange were happening to you... No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to a man... Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial..."
Lately I been very blessed by getting to witness a number of people rejoicing in their trials. They don't wait until all of the issues are resolved, but they are worshipping in the midst of the pain, heartache, and uncertainty. They worship because they are mindful of God's promises to never leave or forsake us; promises to be our ever-present help in trouble. I'll close with a profound truth shared with me in broken English from a conversation with a man named Fernando. He needed some help because he had fallen on hard times. He was on his way back to Mexico and needed some gas money, a place to rest his head, and prayer for a physical condition that was causing him great pain. In his broken English, and my "even-more-broken" Spanish we came to a point in the conversation where we both acknowledged that God was ALWAYS good, even in the hard times. I asked why He still smiled and praised God even though he was having such a tough season. His response... "No Problem. No Victory."