"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.
