Sunday night I attended a beautiful wedding shower and Monday I attended a funeral. What a contrast! Life begining and life ending. The funeral I attended, with my family, was for my Mamaw. She and her husband were close friends of the family from when my brothers and I were really little so we adopted them as our Mamaw and Papaw. She and her husband were instrumental in my parent's becoming Christians so our family owes so much to them! They would come over to our house when my brothers and I were little and bring us song books and Christian books. In fact, when my youngest brother was born Mamaw was in the delivery room (ben is 18 now)! This past year her health had been declining rapidly. Even though it's so hard knowing that she is gone it is good to know that she is sleeping peacefully, waiting for the Lord to wake her up. It's hard knowing that she isn't there anymore, she won't be there when my brothers and I get married, or to hold her great grandchildren and she would have loved it all. She loved life and her friends and family. She never had any biological children of her own but she was every one's Mother.
This year so much has happened. I've never had a year so full of all kinds of things happening in my life. To be honest too much has happened this year but through it all God has been there. In fact I'm going to be honest with all that has happened. Earlier in the year we had to put our family dog to sleep. We had her for 16-17 years. She and Ben were babies together! Then a few months later a serious relationship I had been involved in suddenly dissolved right from under my feet with no prior notice in just one day, then not too long after that I attended the funeral of my 30 year old handsome cousin Jeremy who was killed in a motor bike accident, my grandpa has been sick and in and out of the hospital in Florida, Papaw had open heart surery, we then had the Shane and Beb's accident. Yesterday, I attended the funeral of my Mamaw. Yet in the midst of all this there has been joys as well. My close friend Mary got engaged, another friend Linda got engaged, and a guy I work with got engaged as well. Two of the three that are engaged have weddings coming up in November and December and the one in December I'm a bridesmaid for. In the midst of all this God has been teaching me about Himself, and drawing me closer to Him. I don't know how anyone can make it through life without God. I really don't know how and to be very honest I wouldn't want to know how because the love and comfort that God brings is so awesome and so real! We can let pain make us or break us. It's all up to us. We can let it bring us closer to God or we can let it accuse Him of wrongly treating us. Some might say how can a just God let bad things happen. But it says in Romans 8:28 that: " And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Jeremiah 29:11 also says: "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." He knows what we need to shape our characters. He also knows that there are things that we cannot learn if everything is always going wonderful and happy. I can say for me personally the most painful thing was loosing my relationship that I had been in but I am greatful for the pain. I would never want to go through that kind of pain again but it brought me closer to God, it matured me, it helped me to grow. I want to encourage anyone that is in the midst of trials and pain to not give up and blame God but to make God your best friend, your closest companion, your most trusted advisor and confidant.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we are admonished that : "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." He knows why things happen the way they do, He doesn't make them happen but He allows life to happen. I'm grateful for His guidance and His leading in my life, His love and comfort in pain.
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