Thursday, 23 April 2009

• Our glory here is like the flowers.

  What a whirlwind the last two weeks have been.... A whirlwind full of emotional highs and lows.  We took great joy in a wonderful worshipful week of rejoicing leading up to the celebrating of our Lord's resurrection and then soon after plunged down into the depths of sorrow as we mourned with dear family over my Aunt Jakki dying in a boating accident on Easter Sunday. Upon returning from being in Jacksonville this past weekend,  I immediately began to gear myself and the kids up with a joyful optimism at the possibility of their daddy winning the race for city commissioner that he's worked so hard on. With excitement over the election being so close and a heart to help Jonathan, the kids and I spent time waving signs and knocking on some doors.... to later have our emotions slide down upon finding he lost by ONLY TWO  VOTES (that's how close it was!!) and knowing at least 10 people right around us that said they'd vote for him but just didn't make it to vote (though voter turnout in general was very poor). It also isn't official yet as there was a manual recount scheduled for tomorrow morning in which 5 unaccounted ballots will be considered. Either way, as we wait for final closure on that, I can say that my perspective of our life and purpose here has once again been refreshed and refocused by the Lord through these recent (major and minor) emotional roller coasters... and that sort of refocusing is always a blessing.

     Last Wednesday while Natalie and Joseph were taken to their (every other week) catechism club, I was at home having my usual "Claire bear and mommy time". We walked around outside for a bit admiring God's handiwork around our yard. Upon seeing some wilting and withering, I realized that soon our flowers in the front would be gone, so I ran inside to get the camera to snap a couple pictures of them with several still in their glory. I particularly loved how they looked like they could almost swallow up Claire's little head as she stood close by. 
  
  These flowers that were so alive and vibrant are now gone... and my Aunt Jakki, who was so alive and vibrant (a very healthy fitness trainer and marathon runner at the age of 44) is now gone. I praise God for the time he gave us to enjoy those flowers and I praise God for the time He gave us to enjoy my Aunt Jakki (though I wish there was more time), but more importantly I had opportunity to personally share my faith in Jesus Christ with her and did not do it. I'm glad God is sovereign over all things, including my failures and lack of caring. Being reminded how relatively short this life is and how we never know how or when we or anyone will meet death's door, I feel a new boldness for sharing what Jesus has done for me with others. Even Natalie and Joseph came home talking more about needing to know Jesus. They did after all see with their own eyes how very real death is. While at the viewing Joseph actually asked several times if he could go look at my aunt again. I'm still not sure why he did that.
  
  The kids and I once again talked about how death's timing is unpredictable and how living a "good" life won't get you into heaven.... Going over Romans chapter 10 -  "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." and as Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ." I praise God that Natalie and Joseph profess belief in Jesus as their Lord at their young ages and pray that what they now understand with childlike faith will take deep root in their hearts. As Jonathan's father always prays, "May they never know a day that they're not aware of their sin and how they need a savior and that that savior is Jesus Christ." Oh, how lovely is God and his covenants? To think that our children may actually grow up and not be able to remember a day that they didn't know Jesus because of being taught of their sin and their need for Jesus from infancy and God taking hold of their young hearts. That is this mother's prayer.

  Speaking of hearts... Upon arriving at the private family viewing, I felt like my heart got ripped out of my chest the moment I saw my cousin, Tiffany (17 yrs old and just lost her mom) through the crack of the door. I couldn't control the tears as I held her in my arms. While being utterly filled with sorrow in that place with my family, I felt my life's purpose brought before me once again as I was reminded how knowing and serving Jesus and loving others as He would have me to is the only thing that really matters. We quietly mingled, hugged loved ones and watched the lovely slide show that had been put together to give a glimpse of my Aunt Jakki's life. I know I left wanting to serve God better, love more, and wanting to make sure to occupy my time with that which really matters and so I'll end this with words that really do matter and spur me on.

  1 Peter 1:13-25

   ¹³Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ¹⁴As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

   ¹⁷Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. ¹⁸For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

   ²²Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. ²³For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴For, 
     
  "All men are like grass,
        and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
     the grass withers and the flowers fall,
      ²⁵but the word of the Lord stands forever."
  

  

   

  

  
  
  

  

  
  

  

  I took this picture from this angle just before running to catch up with Claire who you can barely
   see in this picture. Instead of staying by my side, she was being quite the little explorer that evening.
  On another note - I'm looking forward to the our hydrangea bushes blooming in the front bed.
  
  

  • 11:51 PM
  • 7 Views
  • 2 eProps
  • 2 Comments