I was blessed with a mother and maternal grandparents who had very strong convictions about not letting people and circumstances move them from what their ethics and beliefs dictated.
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As I look over my life, there have been many ups and downs. However, it is my belief that there have been two decidedly tempestuous times in my life that have shaken me to the core.
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I love music. One of my first memories is being cradled by my father as he sang me to sleep…something I would later do with my own children and occasionally with my grandchildren. Music energizes me. It helps me refocus when my thoughts start spiraling out of control. Aside from God’s handiwork that has brought to my knees in worship, few things stir my soul like great music. In that light, I’d like focus my discussion around “When My Heart is Torn Asunder” by Phil Wickham. It is a song that has blessed me on many occasions.
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This morning one of the devotionals I read was about God the Father’s joy in Christ as both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God. Later as I was working around our house, my IPod shuffled to “Come Unto to Me” (by Nicole C. Mullen) which is a favorite of mine. Consequently, throughout the day I pondered these two images of Christ and what they mean for us as Christians. On the one hand, we have the powerful conquering Lion while on the other we have the meek, yet perfect Lamb of God.
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Today was one of those days. I woke up defeated and just didn’t feel like fighting anymore. My body was tired, my soul was frustrated and my mind kept waffling between moving forward and giving up. Additionally I had a medical test that required an hour and a half of driving and two hours for the test…I had a migraine and other tasks I preferred to spend my energy on. Needless to say, getting ready took effort (not the least of which was the mental hurdle) and when I got to the door of our house I just didn’t want to open it.
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Imagine Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. He has trained the disciples. He has concluded His ministry. I was time to return to the Father, but there was one last task…His death and resurrection. In preparation, He is coming before His father in prayer. However, it is a prayer like no other that He has offered…He is asking “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me”.
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A key factor in accepting God’s plan for us is trust. Do you trust God? If so, how far does that trust go? Too often our trust in God is colored more by our human relationships and our desires for information and comfort rather than the truth about who He is and His promises to us.
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When trials hit, our lives are often turned upside down. What once was, is no more. We mourn our loss, we wonder how we can continue, and we are anxious about both the present and our future. In our frustration, we often focus on survival and the disruption of our plans rather than godliness. We think that knowing what God knows will help…that somehow our small finite minds can adequately evaluate the vast, all knowing mind of God. In the end, if we are honest, acceptance is really about giving up control.
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I realize that many who are facing the challenges of chronic illness may not have children or have children that are grown, but that fact does not diminish our impact on the children around us…even the grown ones. Training the generations to come, is not limited to parents only. Many people without children of their own have nieces and nephews, are teachers or have friends with children. My point is, whether or not we have children of our own, we have an impact on those coming up behind us.
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