Devastated by Death

Some of you may know that recently my Dad passed away on 9-4-12, then unexpectedly on 11-20-12 my 32 year old nephew David (my older sisters son)  passed away on his 32nd birthday. My family had not even really got to grieve my Dad's death then my nephew passed & my family was devastated understandably so & even though I'm a devoted Christian woman strong in my faith I was at a loss for words to comfort their hearts or minister to them & I must confess my nephews unexpected death blindsided me & was very hard on me.  I'm still trying to process it. My family is still grieving the death of my precious Mama in 2009, my step-daddy & brother-in-Law in 2006 as well.Then all the recent shootings happened recently & I myself was distraught. BUT GOD  is so good & as I was going through some devotionals I had flagged to read at a later time I found this devotional by Max Lucado & it brought so much peace & comfort to my heart. I just had to re-post it & blog it in hopes that it would bring comfort & minister to  my  Blog readers, followers & especially my  relatives whose hearts are hurting/grieving over the loss of a loved one, child etc..My family & I are trying to get into the Christmas spirit despite our grief but we could use your prayers & please especially pray for my sister Ada, (my nephew David's  Mom), her two sons my nephews James & Dustin (David's brothers) & Conrad (my brother-in-Law & the boys step dad) & David Griffith my nephew's Dad.Thank you<3 God bless all of you. I wish you a very Merry Christmas.<3

Devastated by Death
Max on Life #148

The following is a one of 172 questions and answers from the new book, (Max on Life).

QUESTION #148:
The seven-year-old son of our neighbors died last week. They are devastated. So are we. What can we tell them?

God is a good God. We must begin here. Though we don’t understand his actions, we can trust his heart.

God does only what is good. But how can death be good? Some mourners don’t ask this question. When the quantity of years has outstripped the quality of years, we don’t ask how death can be good.

But the father of the dead teenager does. The widow of the young soldier does. The parents of a seven-year-old do. How could death be good?

Part of the answer may be found in Isaiah 57:1–2: “Good people are taken away, but no one understands. Those who do right are being taken away from evil and are given peace. Those who live as God wants find rest in death” (NCV).

Death is God’s way of taking people away from evil. From what kind of evil? An extended disease? An addiction? A dark season of rebellion? We don’t know. But we know that no person lives one day more or less than God intends. “All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old” (Ps. 139:16 NCV).

But her days here were so few . . .

His life was so brief . . .

To us it seems that way. We speak of a short life, but compared to eternity, who has a long one? A person’s days on earth may appear as a drop in the ocean. Yours and mine may seem like a thimbleful. But compared to the Pacific of eternity, even the years of Methuselah filled no more than a glass. James was not speaking just to the young when he said, “Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away”
(James 4:14 NCV).

In God’s plan every life is long enough and every death is timely. And though you and I might wish for a longer life, God knows better.

And—this is important—though you and I may wish a longer life for our loved ones, they don’t. Ironically, the first to accept God’s decision of death is the one who dies.

While we are shaking heads in disbelief, they are lifting hands in worship. While we are mourning at a grave, they are marveling at heaven. While we are questioning God, they are praising God.

NEW Book!
MAX ON LIFE:
Answers and Insights to your Most Important Questions
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado

The Master Weaver’s Plan

The Master Weaver’s Plan

My life is but a weaving
Between the Lord and me;
I may not choose the colors–
He knows what they should be.

For He can view the pattern
Upon the upper side
While I can see it only
On this, the under side.

Sometimes He weaves in sorrow,
Which seems so strange to me;
But I will trust His judgment
And work on faithfully.

‘Tis He who fills the shuttle,
And He knows what is best;
So I shall weave in earnest,
And leave to Him the rest.

Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needed
In the Weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

~ Benjamin Malachi Franklin

1882-1965

LOVE is a CHOICE

Hey everyone, I finally gained access back to my blog page. :D The past 3 & 1/2 years have been rough, my precious mama passed on 1/2/09 & in  2010 I was diagnosed with a Thyroid disease Hypothyroidism with Hashimotos Thyroiditis Disease & I was hit in a 4 car accident. Praise the Lord my injuries were minor due to the fact I was the front & last car to be hit, however because of my physical disabilities I was on a walker for awhile had some trouble getting around for awhile. 
I have also been bedridden for periods periods of time this year with Sciatic Nerve/Fibromyalgia & Osteoarthritis/Back pain. My healthy 51 year young hubby started having some health issues as well, then our daughter had Sinus surgery, turned 18 & graduated High School & left the nest. My Daddy recently became critically ill & went home to be with Jesus on 9/4/12. I was able to be with Daddy in the hospital before Jesus came for him. :D  So that's what I have been up too ministering to my family, resting & letting my body heal. For whatever reason I couldn't access my blog until today. Guess it was the Lord just wanting me to take a break. Today I would like to share with you some encouraging, inspiring, motivational quotes, & encouraging words from various people from a book I have read & re-read this last year titled "The Choice Is Yours " by John C. Maxwell. I gave this book to my daughter in her Jr year of High School & for some reason it got left behind when she moved into her own apartment. I believe God knew I would need to re-read it during this season in my life.God has been working in my heart for a very long time regarding walking in forgiveness & unconditional love for many years now so I can really relate to this topic & have learned these lessons & am still learning everyday.  I hope & pray these words & songs I have posted bless you, inspire you, speak to your heart, help you & encourage you as much as they do me.  God Bless You All.

                             LOVE  is  a  CHOICE

YOU WILL FIND AS YOU LOOK BACK UPON YOUR LIFE THAT THE MOMENTS WHEN YOU HAVE REALLY LIVED, ARE THE MOMENTS WHEN YOU HAVE DONE THINGS IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE. 
                             (HENRY DRUMMOND)

                           

The love of our neighbor is the only door out of the dungeon of self.
                                  (GEORGE MACDONALD)

While faith makes all things possible, it is love that makes all things easy.
                                  (EVAN H. HOPKINS)

The supreme happiness of  life is the conviction of  being loved for yourself, or, more correctly, in spite of yourself.
                                        (VICTOR HUGO)


I have found the paradox that if  I love until it hurts, then there is no more hurt, but only more love.
                                     ( MOTHER TERESA)


To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket---- safe, dark, motionless, airless---- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.... The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all dangers... of love is Hell.
                               (C.S. LEWIS)


Lessons I Have Learned about LOVE: 
                           1. Love People Now: You never know what's going to happen tomorrow--or if you will see tomorrow at all. Love people now. It's said that the bishop of Uganda, during a especially tumultuous time in his country, said, "If you are going to love someone, do it quickly!' That's advice each of us needs to take to heart.

2. Love is Vulnerable: If you love others, then you will be hurt. Because when you open your arms to another, you make yourself an easy target. Do it anyway. Only the pain of never having loved is worse than the pain of having your heart broken.

3. Love is Powerful: Love has the power to change the world. It was love that prompted God to create the world. It was love that caused him to send Jesus to save it. When you love others, anything is possible.

4. Love Only Lasts with Hard Work: No friendship lasts for decades without hard work. No marriage survives half a century without both partners fighting to make it work. No relationship thrives without sweat  and tears and toil. If you want a relationship to last, you will have to give up other things for it.

5. Love is Unconditional: If there are strings attached, then it isn't really love. A person needs to be loved the most when they deserve to be loved the least. When you love people, you keep on loving them. You make their problem, your problem. You stick with them to the End.
                                      (JOHN C. MAXWELL)

 You can break God's heart, but you cannot break God's love.
                                (JOHN C. MAXWELL)

Things human must be known to be loved; things divine must be loved to be known.
                                    (BLAISE PASCAL)
                      
                   
          Love is an act of endless forgiveness.
                                   ( PETER USTINOV)
   

1Corinthians : 13:13:   And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest these is love.                                      ( The Holy Bible)

ANYWAY (Martina Mcbride)

You can spend your whole life buildin'
Somethin' from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

[chorus]
God is great, but sometimes life ain't good
When I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This worlds gone crazy and it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway
You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
An in a moment they can choose to walk away
love 'em anyway

[repeat chorus]

You can pour your soul out singing a song you believe in
but tomorrow they will forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway!

Yeah I sing, 
I dream,
I love anyway!

THIS IS GOOD!

Have you ever had a day where you were running late, because of circumstances beyond your control and you kept getting impatient,frustrated or angry because you hate to be late and as if running late wasn't bad enough every car in your path was driving too slow, or the cashier was taking too long to ring you up, the line was to long or your kids weren't cooperating? Maybe you were suppose to go on a trip or be at a event/concert etc and you were so filled with anger because you couldn't go.  I have, and because of those times I am thankful because often times there has been a car accident, a robbery, a shooting etc at the time I was suppose to be in that particular place. How about something bad happening to you or someone you know? Sometimes our biggest blessings come out of the worst things or circumstances but we don't realize at the time that God is still with us and he is still in control or that he can take the bad things and turn them into good. Today I wanted to pass on a e-mail I received from my Cousin (Carol) to encourage you if you are experiencing something bad and can't possibly understand how any good could come from it. As I reflect on some of the worst times and experiences in my life,  I see how those bad things turned out for good. It took many years and alot of pain to see it and some of it I still don't understand, but I have accepted there are some things this side of  Heaven we will never fully understand and when we get to Heaven it will be as if it never happened.  If there is one thing  I  know  for sure, it is that God is always in control, and that he is always there for us and will never leave us or forsake us.  Trust him, know him, seek him and you will see. ( by  Heiress of The Light)

Daily Promises
Blue Letter Bible

2Corinthians 4:16-18

 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Our struggles, our battles, our daily toiling against the forces of this present darkness are naught compared with the marvellous riches and captivating glory to which we are called and in which we will soon partake. What matter our suffering? What matter our failures? What matter any measure of suffering when held against the surpassing beauty and permanence of our heavenly hope!

 
 THIS IS GOOD!

The story is told of a king who had a close friend with whom he grew up.
The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in
his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were on a hunting expedition. The friend
would load and prepare the guns for the king. In preparing one of the guns,
the friend had apparently done something wrong, for after taking the gun
from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.

Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" To
which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his
friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in a dangerous area. Cannibals
captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked
some wood, set up a stake and bound him to it. As they approached to set
fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being
superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So after
untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb
and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to
the jail to speak with his friend. You were right," he said, "it was good
that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that
had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so
long. It was bad for me to do this."

"No," his friend replied, "This is good!"

"What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my
friend to jail for a year?"

"If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you."

Situations may not always seem pleasant while we are in them, but the
promise of God is clear. If we love him and live our lives according to his
precepts, even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by
God for His glory and our benefit. Hold on...God is faithful!

-- Author Unknown

The Woodcutter's Wisdom

by Max Lucado




Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before—such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.
People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?” The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.
One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. “You old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”
The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?”
The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact that your horse is gone is a curse.”
The old man spoke again. “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?”
The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. He lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.
After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. “Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.”
The man responded, “Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of a phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?
“Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”
“Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse. With a little bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.
The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.
“You were right,” they said. “You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”
The old man spoke again. “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments.”
It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.
“You were right, old man,” they wept. “God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.”
The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows.”
The old man was right. We only have a fragment. Life’s mishaps and horrors are only a page out of a grand book. We must be slow about drawing conclusions. We must reserve judgment on life’s storms until we know the whole story.
I don’t know where the woodcutter learned his patience. Perhaps from another woodcutter in Galilee. For it was the Carpenter who said it best:
“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:34)
He should know. He is the Author of our story. And he has already written the final chapter.

From
Come Thirsty
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2004) Max Lucado