"Those who survive the coming destruction will find blessings even in the barren land, for I will give rest to the people of Israel." Jeremiah 31:2 a verse not as well known as the one which follows: Long ago the LORD said to Israel: "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself." Jeremiah 31:3 the entire chapter is one of hope. hope even when. even in. the words blessings even in the barren land jumped off the page and into my heart. is there a greater promise? blessings are easy to count when we are surrounded by such, but when standing in a barren field or desert or valley, or even ruins, they are often a little harder to see. yet is that not when those promised blessings are most profound? sometimes that for which we have to search means more than that which is readily available. the brilliance of a golden dandelion is more obvious when standing alone in a field of dirt than when sharing a space in the grass with twenty other dandelions. likewise, a spring in the desert will mean more than a spring in lush surroundings. and this is in no way discouragement from counting blessings when the blessings are bountiful, for are not blessings always gifts?
each heart beating is beating its own unique rhythm yet each unique rhythm beats in perfect time to the heartbeat of the Creator. and so, too, are the blessings unique. the barren lands and deserts and valleys and ruins are unique as well. and is that not one of the beauties of the body of Christ? individuals unique, yet intertwined in the One whose hand brought this world into being. so to the heart feeling alone in the barren land or desert or valley or ruins, don't give up. this season will not last forever. and this you can know: in this time you will be given gifts. blessings where least expected. and a new or renewed sense of intimacy with the One whose heartbeat underlies all. this I know to be true, for I have been there.
precious Autumn Lynn, tomorrow is your birthday. you would have been seven. seven years old. and your mommy and daddy and brother and sister and grandpas and grandmas and cousins and uncles and aunts and friends all miss you so much. even people like me, who were never blessed to meet you and know you and hug you... we miss you, too. you might wonder how we can miss a little girl we never got to meet. Autumn, it is because your beautiful family has shared you and your story with all of us out here. and you, your story, has grabbed our hearts. we know that your favorite color was purple. we know that you loved to give hugs. we know that you laughed a lot. we know that you were a a little ray of sunshine who brought life and love into every room. and the best thing we know? you loved Jesus. and that, sweet girl, is why your story... your love... your heart... all live on and on. the moment your heart beat its last here on earth, it beat its first in heaven. and tomorrow is your birthday in heaven, too. your mommy and daddy have found a way to share you on your birthday that brings joy and smiles and laughter as all of us get to share our love for you and Jesus by giving to others. some of us give cookies or popsicles or share their cars or toys or give hugs and smiles and so, so, much more!
and you have a whole camp named after you! Camp Autumn! there kids who have hurting hearts can come and feel safe and have fun and make new friends.
your mommy and daddy have done so much to help other little ones like you be safe and protected. Autumn's Center is another place to help hurting kids that has your name. every time they stand up and share your story, their love for you, Autumn, shines as brightly as you did, and because they have shared, the world is a better and safer and brighter place. and your beautiful heart beats on. happy birthday, sweet girl!
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
"You must give up your right to decide what is good and evil on your own terms." The Shack why is this so puzzling? why so hard to accept? one moment the words make perfect sense. the next...unattainable. does it not come down to the issue of control? for being able to name to label to classify to categorize gives a semblance of that control we so long for. and not necessarily in a negative connotation. we long to remove the pain the hurt the tears from those we love. we long to mend that which is b r o k e n
but is it really that simple? by whose definition do we decide what is good and what is evil? and if something meant only for good actually ends up hurting someone, is it still good or has it now become evil? and the reverse as well... what if something so clearly meant for evil actually casts a glow of beauty on another situation or person? is it still evil? is it still bad? or has it become good? I have spent countless hours trying to remove that which appears to be bad from my life and the lives of those I love. picking up broken pieces. trying to put them back together. yet all the while, am I not trying to 'help' God (at best) or 'be' God (at worst)? I cannot see what He sees. I don't hold the world in my hands. I can't begin to know what is best for either myself or anyone else. yet. I. try. so for today, for this moment, (I know myself well enough to know I will have to repeat this many times a day) I simply gather the broken pieces and gently place them in the hands of the One who knows each minuscule detail of each life's story line. and I do this with incredible hope, knowing that broken pieces are not reason for despair. rather they are reason for anticipation, knowing that His greatest work begins when I surrender the pieces of my life, along with the pieces of the lives which have been impacted by my own brokenness, into His outstretched hands. and grace covers even that which appears shattered beyond recognition. this. is. our. God.
