This morning my cousin gave birth to a stillborn son. There is nothing I can say or do for her that will take away her heartbreak. I sent a message that just says " I love you."
She doesn't need me to help her make sense of this. There is no way to do so. When horrible things happen you just have to hold on to the love you can find and pray you'll be able to survive.
Thankfully, while it may be hard for her to believe so today, she knows God loves her too.
Please keep Drew and Carolyn in your prayers. They will need them.
Sadly,
jene'
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
13 August 2007
25 March 2007
Soulful teeter-totter
At church we have been working on discovering who Jesus is and what he means to us. Last week Doug had us close our eyes and visualize how we would see Jesus. I was asked by a friend after the service what my representation had been. I told her I don't usually see Jesus as having any specific facial features. She looked perplexed so I went on to clarify how it was so. When I close my eyes and think of Christ, and I do so daily, I see the weave of hand-loomed cloth. I sense the rough texture and scent of the outdoors. You see, I always picture myself being held in a pair of arms offering comfort. I am leaning on the strength I know will hold me up.
Yesterday I had one of the saddest moments I have ever had in my life. I was designing solutions for a customer. She was what we refer to as an "intimate" customer. This type of person will share parts of her life that her friends may not even know. While I was trying to determine what kind of storage she needed she asked me what I knew about Judaism. I told her I have some Jewish blood in my background. She then proceeded to tell me how she was converting to Judaism and leaving the Methodist church behind. I asked her what prompted the change. She replied that it had been her experience that the Jewish people in her life seemed more at ease in their faith and comfortable sharing it with others. She said they seemed to have a real relationship with God. I asked her how she felt about leaving Jesus behind. She stated she had never seen much of Jesus in the people she went to church with and wasn't sure that anyone ever did more than just talk about Him.
My heart felt like it was breaking as I listened to her tell me her story. I struggled with the overwhelming desire to weep right there at the design station. I was glad I was able to help her with the problems that had brought her in. She stayed in my heart for the rest of the day. I frequently take part of my lunch break to meditate and center myself for the rest of the day. The plight of this woman kept coming to the front of my brain. I was then pondering how people who claim to love Jesus, can't show that same love to others in church with them. That led to thinking of how many of those people don't share Jesus with those not in church. Lots of people talk about the need to do so but never do anything about it.
This has been a point of contention between me and someone close to me. Can you really have a meaningful relationship with Christ and not share it? I don't think so. I think those who love the Lord can't help themselves. They are going to have it pouring out of their hearts. My mum is a great example of this. You can feel the love just rolling off her. Stand next to her for any length of time and you will feel it wash over you. I have a friend here who does the same. Either in person or over the phone he exudes the love he feels for his Lord. When he grabs you up in a hug you will feel great comfort and strength you know isn't coming from him alone.
Today I joined several friends of many varied backgrounds as we shared a meal together. There was joy and fellowship. People told of life experiences. Those that gave pause for thought and those that had us trying not to fall out of our chairs laughing. More than once I heard the phrase "I don't know how I could have made it without God's help". What makes it so fantastic is the fact that not everyone who was present knows Jesus. Today they got a good look at who he is.
In these two days, I have been at both the high end and low end of the teeter-totter.
Praying others see Jesus in me,
jene'
Yesterday I had one of the saddest moments I have ever had in my life. I was designing solutions for a customer. She was what we refer to as an "intimate" customer. This type of person will share parts of her life that her friends may not even know. While I was trying to determine what kind of storage she needed she asked me what I knew about Judaism. I told her I have some Jewish blood in my background. She then proceeded to tell me how she was converting to Judaism and leaving the Methodist church behind. I asked her what prompted the change. She replied that it had been her experience that the Jewish people in her life seemed more at ease in their faith and comfortable sharing it with others. She said they seemed to have a real relationship with God. I asked her how she felt about leaving Jesus behind. She stated she had never seen much of Jesus in the people she went to church with and wasn't sure that anyone ever did more than just talk about Him.
My heart felt like it was breaking as I listened to her tell me her story. I struggled with the overwhelming desire to weep right there at the design station. I was glad I was able to help her with the problems that had brought her in. She stayed in my heart for the rest of the day. I frequently take part of my lunch break to meditate and center myself for the rest of the day. The plight of this woman kept coming to the front of my brain. I was then pondering how people who claim to love Jesus, can't show that same love to others in church with them. That led to thinking of how many of those people don't share Jesus with those not in church. Lots of people talk about the need to do so but never do anything about it.
This has been a point of contention between me and someone close to me. Can you really have a meaningful relationship with Christ and not share it? I don't think so. I think those who love the Lord can't help themselves. They are going to have it pouring out of their hearts. My mum is a great example of this. You can feel the love just rolling off her. Stand next to her for any length of time and you will feel it wash over you. I have a friend here who does the same. Either in person or over the phone he exudes the love he feels for his Lord. When he grabs you up in a hug you will feel great comfort and strength you know isn't coming from him alone.
Today I joined several friends of many varied backgrounds as we shared a meal together. There was joy and fellowship. People told of life experiences. Those that gave pause for thought and those that had us trying not to fall out of our chairs laughing. More than once I heard the phrase "I don't know how I could have made it without God's help". What makes it so fantastic is the fact that not everyone who was present knows Jesus. Today they got a good look at who he is.
In these two days, I have been at both the high end and low end of the teeter-totter.
Praying others see Jesus in me,
jene'
24 December 2006
...and Heaven makes her sing...
My nephew Grant is a force unto himself. Like most who are still so fresh from the hand of God he hasn't had time to let the world change him yet.
Anyone who spent time in church while growing up can relate at least one hymn they used to mangle when they were young. I still have trouble singing "bringing in the sheaves". When I was a child we sang this song often at my grandfather's church. Since he was a shepherd and sheep are often mentioned in the Bible, I always sang that line as "bringing in the sheep". I was a teenager before I could sing that song correctly.
Last night Grant was caroling himself with his favorite Christmas tunes and was doing a good rendition of "Joy to the World". The last line was truly a work of his heart as he sang "and Heaven makes her sing, and Heaven makes her sing."
While he didn't get the lyrics quite right, he was profoundly truthful. Thoughts of Heaven make me sing. Amazement that Jesus left heaven for me, makes me sing. Joy at the thought of one day joining Him in Heaven, makes me sing. The comfort of knowing many of those I have loved are already in Heaven, makes me sing. The hope that one day everyone I know will be in heaven, makes me sing.
From this moment on I don't think I will ever be able to sing that carol without thinking of Grant. He has caused me to love an old favorite even more for a new reason.
Singing of Heaven,
jene'
Anyone who spent time in church while growing up can relate at least one hymn they used to mangle when they were young. I still have trouble singing "bringing in the sheaves". When I was a child we sang this song often at my grandfather's church. Since he was a shepherd and sheep are often mentioned in the Bible, I always sang that line as "bringing in the sheep". I was a teenager before I could sing that song correctly.
Last night Grant was caroling himself with his favorite Christmas tunes and was doing a good rendition of "Joy to the World". The last line was truly a work of his heart as he sang "and Heaven makes her sing, and Heaven makes her sing."
While he didn't get the lyrics quite right, he was profoundly truthful. Thoughts of Heaven make me sing. Amazement that Jesus left heaven for me, makes me sing. Joy at the thought of one day joining Him in Heaven, makes me sing. The comfort of knowing many of those I have loved are already in Heaven, makes me sing. The hope that one day everyone I know will be in heaven, makes me sing.
From this moment on I don't think I will ever be able to sing that carol without thinking of Grant. He has caused me to love an old favorite even more for a new reason.
Singing of Heaven,
jene'
13 June 2006
Legacy
Today is my Aunt Frances' birthday. It's not really important how old she is, what is important is what she has done with her years.
I am very blessed to have her and many like her in my life. The generations of my family that came before me left me with a legacy of faith that is impossible to ignore. That is the greatest gift they could give me. Things are nice, but they break and fade. Faith is alive and grows as it is passed from one generation to the next.
Still, you can't just take the faith of your ancestors as your own. You must claim it for yourself and bring your offering to it for the generation to follow you.
I probably won't have much to leave my nieces and nephews in the way of monetary rewards. What I do hope they will get from me is a blueprint for how to build a life in Christ. This can be a daunting thing. It can be quite humbling to remember that everything you do is a lesson for those who look to you for guidance.
I hope I do as good a job as my Aunt Frances has done.
Thankful for my family,
-jene'
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