Friday, March 1, 2013

Foundation Building.........

I am sitting here early this morning not able to sleep, thinking about mine and my family's life. We have walked a road that I never would have dreamed we would be on in a million years. I think many people would say that their lives haven't gone a 100% the way they would have planned.

Something we all do is plan our lives and futures out, and the way we see it playing out. Some of us do an amazing job of succeeding in meeting those goals and plans we make. Sometimes it's a few of those plans that don't come to fruition, other times its a lot of them, but we still end up where we wanted and satisfied with our lives. Then there are those that it seems like our life and plans go completely off the path we envisioned. 

I have something stirring in my heart about the times that life goes off the proverbial path. I'm still working through all of what it is God is laying on my heart and it will continue to come out in future posts. I have some of the picture that I want to share now though. 

When I talk about life going off course, I'm talking about those life changing moments we all experience that are not what we envisioned or expected. This could be a death, marriage, divorce, a job loss, a diagnosis of cancer, the list could go on....... The truth of the matter is that we all face things in our lives that we did not plan on. It's those moments, when it seems the path we envisioned our lives taking completely goes in a different direction than we ever expected, that I want to talk about.

We all are faced with these moments in life where we are sitting there thinking what happened, that wasn't the way it was supposed to go! If you have not experienced moments like that, then I would tell you to thank God and be prepared that they will probably come. I'm not trying to be negative, but I am wanting to plant a seed that will hopefully be there when those moments of life do come. 

I am talking about HOPE. I have spoken of this in previous posts, but God is continuing to grow this concept in my life. I am talking of a real, deep rooted, foundation building hope. The kind of hope that is only found in Jesus Christ.

The thing that is drawing me to this topic again and again is the lack of hope that I see in so many of those going through those moments where it is absolutely needed. I can see people who are struggling through life because they don't have hope and don't know where to find it. The only thing that gives me true peace and joy in the midst of losing Jack and Hayes is the fact that I have a hope built on the Rock.

I am continually praying that God will take the loss of our two boys and give us the opportunity to use it for His glory. I always feel that I need to qualify these things by saying that there is nothing special about Jess or myself, but that it is only through the grace of God that we are moving forward. That being said, I want to share the HOPE that I have with all who come across my path. I know where my boys are, I know that I am going to see them again, and I know that this life is but a drop in the ocean in comparison to the eternity. 

I feel the need to say this to all who question where God is in all of this tragedy and pain in the world around us. There is nothing that takes God by surprise. He know the beginning from the end. He knows each and every facet of our lives. He knows the exact number of days we have on this earth. He knows each and every struggle, heartache, and pain we will ever feel or experience in this life. 

People have questioned why would God allow my two perfectly healthy boys to die so suddenly less than a year and a half apart from each other. I can honestly say that I don't entirely know the answer to that. I do know that God sees the beginning from the end where I do not, and I have a peace and faith knowing that He is working through it for His glory. 

The point of all this is that there is a hope for each and every person who reads this. Maybe you know Christ and are just struggling not knowing where God is in your life. Maybe you know of Christ, but your view if Him is as a God who doesn't care. Maybe you have no knowledge of Christ and have actively pushed away from or avoided God altogether. I am here to tell you the only way that there is only one place find peace, joy, and hope. That is through Jesus Christ.

I know it may seem like I am just preaching through these post, but it is so much more than that. The deepest desire of my heart is that those who I am ever privileged enough to come into contact with, and to share my story, will find the same hope and peace I have. 

God is calling to each and every person who reads this, and is asking if you will trust Him enough to lay your burdens on Him. I will tell you upfront that if you decide to follow Christ and give Him your all, your life is not going to just turn around and become perfect. I can say with all certainty that it will not. Jesus never promised that it would be easy to follow Him, or that there would never be any pain or suffering. We live in a fallen sinful world, and all that it has to offer is pain and suffering. 

What I can promise you is that if you choose to follow Christ you will find peace like never before. I have experienced a peace that passes all understanding. I have a hope that exceeds anything this world has to offer. I have joy that wells up within me when there is no reason that I should have joy. It is because of what Christ did on the cross that I can say I have peace, hope, and joy. The question is will you go to the One who offers you the same free gift...........

Come to me, all who labor and are  heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am  gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  

Matthew 11:28-30

As always please feel free to contact me with any questions, thoughts, or comments. Thank you to all of you who make it through and continue to read my ramblings! :)