Isaiah 42:16

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths...I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Two years ago...


This has been a reflective week. April 1st was our anniversary….my second year of remembering our anniversary without Pete beside me. Thankfully, it was full of family and busy-ness which helped a lot and made it a good day! Then April 2nd was the two year date of Pete’s first stroke. The memories of that day came flooding back into my mind and how things changed after that day. April 13th was his second stroke….so many thoughts…. Things were different between April 2nd and June 22nd….So much to be concerned about yet so much to be thankful for at the same time.

Today as I was spending time with God, I was reading in Ann Voskamp’s devotional book based on One Thousand Gifts. The March before Pete’s first stroke, I was a co-speaker at our church’s women’s retreat….and I shared some of her words in my talk. She talked about the word “eucharisteo”….which means “He gave thanks”. She reflected on the verse in Luke 22:19 at the Last Supper when Jesus “took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to them.” Eucharisteo is in that verse.

She said the root of that word is charis, meaning grace. Jesus took that bread, saw it as a gift to His Father and gave thanks. He was giving Himself to His Father…for us.

Then she said that the derivative of charis (grace) is chara, meaning joy. I remember talking about how true joy can only be found at the point where we can give thanks in all things. I knew this to be true based on past life experiences but I had no idea that in a month, I was going to have to face it with the hardest lesson of my life!

One of Ann’s questions she raised over and over again in her book was “Is the height of my chara joy dependent on the depths of my Eucharisteo thanks?” That is a powerful question!

On the retreat, I shared one of my life verses with the ladies…my “nevertheless” verses in Habakkak 3:17-19 which essentially says that no matter what happens in life, I WILL rejoice in the Lord! I told the ladies that sometimes we may need to do it while we are crying or kicking and screaming… but we need to be determined to rejoice in Him.

These past two years have been the hardest years of my life….I went down to the deepest darkest part of a valley than I have ever been to before. My sorrow in losing Pete to share life with here on earth went to a depth I didn’t know existed….then saying goodbye to my mom one year later as I was climbing back out of the valley was like someone kicked me in the gut and pushed me back down the slope. Yes, I have cried many tears and fought the sadness that can encompass anyone who loses someone they love…and there were some days at the beginning when it was all I could do to get up in the morning, put one foot in front of the other and move through the day. Yet, I knew that I knew that I knew that Jesus was right there the whole time. It was like He was sitting in the room with me and waiting on me to ask Him to help. Once I did, He took my hand and I felt like He said, “I know this is so hard…and I am so sorry to see you sad. But Pete is with me and he is happy. I still have work for you to do down here so hold onto my hand and let’s go.”

The answer for me was to keep saying “Nevertheless…I will rejoice in the Lord.” The answer for me was to seek ways to exalt Christ in all things. That doesn’t mean it has been easy at all but it does mean that I have found that peace and joy in the midst of my sorrow that only He can give. He has opened doors for me to share Him in special ways and in incredible places. I am thankful!

Someone asked me recently, “Are you happy?” That made me pause….I had to take that one to the Lord, “Am I happy, Lord?” As I reflected with Him, I could honestly say that I am peaceful, that my joy in the Lord is as strong as it ever was and that I have “happy” times with family and friends. But I do miss the kind of joy and happiness that came from being loved so deeply, from sharing life, from being a helpmeet and serving the Lord with someone who loves Him, too. Yet  (nevertheless!) I know I can trust God with all things and believe that He is working all things in my life for His glory.

“Is the height of my chara joy dependent on the depths of my eucharisteo thanks?”

I do realize that when I focus on all I have to be thankful for, it automatically brings a smile to my face and causes me to feel happy! So yes, I can say I agree with Ann’s question.  I do believe my joy depends on the depth of my thanks!

I have always been a planner which was a great trait for this teacher girl! I love to plan trips, ideas for fun activities, house projects….I love to plan! God has really taught me these past two years to hold my plans with an open hand. He seems to show me the next step to take and that is all. It is almost like He is checking my obedience level. After I say “ok” and take that step, He shows me the next one….and amazingly, I have been okay with that. I don’t have to know the future….I trust Him with my life so much that I know whatever the future holds, He will guide me there and help me walk through it. I know I can trust Him….I have been through the deepest, darkest valley I have ever walked through…and He has been there every step of the way! He is the One who is there when no one else is….and that can be true for all of us when we ask Him to be our Lord.

So what are my plans? I plan to hold onto His hand and go and do whatever He asks me to do…and to remember to give thanks to Him as I go!!

Nevertheless, my friends, Nevertheless!!