God is good all the time….
“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” II Chronicles 19:3
It has been a minute….
So much is going on….
His blessings continue to pour out on us….
We have finished the year of firsts…
He has carried us through it all…
Great is His faithfulness…
I get asked….
Frequently….
How are the children….
That is a good question….
I have a great relationship with them all…
We talk openly….
About everything….
I thanked my 16 year old…
For sharing her texts from a boy who has caught her eye….
She is not allowed to date yet….
But they are building a great friendship….
She shares his sweet texts with me….
She catches me alone….
Hey dad….
Can I tell you what he said to me yesterday…..
I pause…
Of course, I respond….
She shares….
I thank her for sharing with me…
Her response….
Of course….
Who else would I share it with….
I tear up everytime I tell that story….
I am grateful….
For so many things….
Communication with my 16-year-old daughter….
About boys….
Is one of them….
So how are they doing….
Two of my girls and I do a devotional together….
Before reading each other’s thoughts…
We post our own responses to the devotional…
That process….
Keeps our responses….
Uniquely ours….
Uninfluenced by each other’s thoughts….
It helps us learn and grow in the Word…
It helps us to see other perspectives….
This was my 15-year-old daughter’s response….
In her words….
I feel like today’s message has kinda described our life lately….
I mean, a year and a half ago….
We went through one of the toughest things the culture could throw at us…..
And yet…
We did not react the way the rest of the culture would act….
We did not sink into depression….
We did not allow it to tear our family apart….
We did not go into isolation or quarantine….
Thanks to Jesus….
We were able to do the opposite….
We rose in joy and love….
We had peace…
Peace that surpasses all understanding….
We grew closer as a family….
We grew closer to God….
Closer than we have ever been….
We kept living life…
We kept making a difference for the Lord….
It confuses people….
And sometimes they don’t believe….
That we could actually go through something like that….
And come out better….
Better than we went in….
Sometimes when people ask if we are ok…
They don’t believe us when we say we are good….
They think we are just trying to deny our feelings…
Trying to push them down…
That is the incredible power of Jesus….
He takes bad circumstances….
And turns them for good….
In a way that no one can understand….
It was nothing we did….
It was all Him….
I cannot imagine….
Going through life…
Without my Rock, my Fortress, my Best Friend….
Thanks to Him….
We are different from the culture….
And it is amazing….
Those were her thoughts….
Her words….
Straight from the heart of a 15 year old…
She is amazing….
Her relationship with the Lord is so intimate….
Like nothing I have ever seen….
Especially in a fifteen-year-old….
I am so blessed….
God is so faithful….
I looked down the aisle at church last week….
My youngest girl….
During praise and worship….
Eyes shut….
Palms up….
Just smiling and singing….
Soaking in the presence of the Lord….
I am so blessed….
God is so faithful….
My oldest boy….
Volunteered to be in the youth praise and worship….
He did not even ask….
Just signed up….
That is way out of his comfort zone….
I am so blessed….
God is so faithful….
My youngest boy….
Had a lemonade stand last week….
He made $150.00…..
He asked each person who made a purchase….
If there was anything they needed him to pray for….
If they said no….
Or that they could not think of anything he could pray about….
He would ask if he could pray for them anyway….
They all said yes….
They were not simple prayers….
He would pray protections over them….
Favor over them….
Peace and happiness….
Whatever came to his heart…
He would pray….
They would nod in agreement as he prayed….
One was brought to tears….
He changed lives….
It was a lemonade ministry….
He is 8….
I am so blessed….
God is so faithful….
The Lord is working in such amazing ways…..
Almost 2 years ago…
This journey started….
It has been a beautiful horrible experience….
The horrible is obvious….
The beautiful is Jesus….
Every day….
He reveals more beauty….
I have been a peaceful wreck….
The wreck is obvious….
The peaceful comes only from Him….
In ways I could have never imagined….
He has shown me how to love again….
I cannot explain it….
Other than it is like having multiple children….
After your first….
We think….
There is no way I can love another child like this….
Then child number 2 comes along….
We love that child just as much….
But yet in his or her own unique way…..
They don’t compare….
But the love is equal….
That is what He has brought into my life….
A new wife….
A new family….
A new love….
A different love….
An amazing love….
A God kind of love….
I did not think this was possible….
I did not think this existed….
I thought I was single the rest of my life….
I was wrong….
He had different plans for me….
So many people happy for me….
Celebrating with me….
Some happy….
But not ready to celebrate….
And I get that….
It is a process for everyone…
And it is different for everyone….
I pray for all who knew her….
All who have been touched by her….
And there were a lot….
I pray they find even better peace than I have….
Better favor….
Better comfort….
How do we cope….
When we get sad….
We take a moment and grieve…
We focus on her death….
But we do not stay there…
We move to favorite memories….
We change the tears of pain….
Into tears of joy…
Remembering the funny stories…
We change our teas of joy…
Into tears of laughter….
From there….
We move to thinking about her present….
Her spirit in heaven….
With Jesus….
With their other 8 brothers and sisters….
The ones that never got to take a breath outside her womb….
Our tears of joy….
Shift to smiles of celebration….
No more pain….
Meeting her other children….
Being in the presence of the Lord….
Laughing with Jesus….
Competing with Jesus….
Yes….
She is competitive….
After all….
She is co-heir to the throne with Jesus….
Our tears of pain….
To tears of joy….
To laughter in celebration….
That is our process….
We do not focus on her death….
That is a dark place….
We move to the past….
The past where she was alive and vibrant….
To her life on earth…
Then they move to the present….
Her life in heaven….
That is how we cope…..
It is beautiful,..,
We are in the process of blending two families…
One family of two….
One family of six….
One dog….
Two cats….
Six fish….
It has its challenges….
It could almost be a movie….
Mostly a comedy….
One challenge we do not have….
One that we don’t have to face….
Is jealousy or strife….
Over the parents who have passed….
They lost their daddy and husband….
We lost their mommy and wife….
A day has not gone by that we have not talked about both of them….
They may not be present physically….
But they are present in our hearts….
We will never forget their influence….
God is love….
He is so faithful….
He is kind….
He is joy…..
He is peace…..
He is good…
He is patience….
He is gentle….
He is self-control….
That is His character….
It shines on us every day….
So we can be a light….
A light in this darkness….
To a hurting world….
We can be….
A light onto the world….
Making a difference for the Lord….
One day….
One step….
One breath…
At a time….
Making a difference for Him…..
Being the salt of the earth….
Being the hands and feet of Jesus….
He has called us for so much more….
Our two families….
Will do so much more together….
Then we ever could have done alone….
To glorify and honor God…..
…..All the time God is good.