Bountiful Blessings
September
9th, 2012
Good
morning! I hope that you have had a lovely week! We had a few friends over this
weekend for football. Hmm, imagine that. College football. It’s a powerful
thing.
Well,
anyway, one of my friends was telling me a little about her life. She has had a
tough time. I won’t go into it. It was a private conversation but well, real
rough. Yet you would never know from seeing her or being around her. She is
beautiful inside and out. She gives all the credit to God. She told me that He
has been there for her and helped her through everything. I cannot imagine what
she has gone through. The depth of her pain. Without revealing everything she
told me, I can say that she lost a child. A grown child. But her child.
I
came close to losing Summer and the pain still knocks me to the ground. I find
myself at the oddest times reliving the moments. I break down into tears EVEN
THOUGH I can pick up the phone and hear her voice or spend time with her and
wrap my arms around her. So no. I cannot comprehend what she has gone through
or the pain that she has endured.
But
she is not the only one to have ever experienced such pain. We lost someone
very important to us when I was young. My aunt can never speak to her son or
hold him in her arms. He was, wow, he was fantastic. Kind, smart, good looking,
loving, thoughtful…. My aunt? She exemplifies the same traits. She has always
been there for me. Talented, loving, kind… Yet occasionally you can see the
pain in her eyes. A pain that we all would do anything to reverse.
You
do not always know what someone is going through in life. Or what someone is
experiencing or has experienced. We cannot know the pain that others endure. So
what is my point? Is it empathy? Is it pain? No, I want to focus on the
strength. “Great strength comes from faith in God.” It is from Him that we draw
from the well. My friend, my aunt - they are two beautiful, strong, admirable
women. Women who have endured more than any woman should. But they have not
only endured, they have flourished. They are shining examples for the rest of
us. They push through the pain and seek comfort and strength from our Heavenly
Father. I can only imagine that a piece of them died that day along with their
sons. But they continue to live and serve the Lord. They continue to be the
kind of women that I can only hope to be.
Today
you may not be experiencing this level of pain (and we all pray that you are
not) but you may be experiencing a level of pain or torment. Could be an
illness, an illness of a family member, losing a job, wanting to leave your
job, peer pressure, school stress, the possibilities are endless…. Please take
a moment to close your eyes, take a deep breath and talk with the Lord. This is
one promise that I am 100% comfortable in making - he will be there for you. He
will give you strength. He will give you comfort. He has plans for you. Plans
for you to prosper. Not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.
Prayer
for the week:
Dear
Lord, today I ask your blessing for those I love who have lost dear loved ones.
Through you, they have found an unending supply of strength and comfort. I ask
today that you help me to serve as your vessel. To offer the right words, to
offer an ear, to offer a hug. Show me, Lord, what I can do. I understand that
the pain will not ever go away. Just please let me take some of it for them. In
Jesus’s name. Amen.
Bible
verse for the week:
“Those
who are sad now are happy because God will comfort them.” Matthew 5:4
Bible
fun for the week:
Alphagraphs
The
following paragraphs each have 26 blanks. You need to fill these in, based on
the story. Notice that each word begins with a different letter of the alphabet
in order (maybe not X). To help you more, we added clue below. But try filling
in as many as you can without the clues first.
When Noah was first told by
God to build the a…. he may not have b…. it was possible to c… it. But if he
didn’t all life would be d…. He decided to e…. to f…. such a g…. craft - with
God’s h….. of course. God gave him I…. on how to j…. the parts of the ark with
pitch. From the k…. to the l…. of the roof, Noah m….. to follow God’s orders on
what to do and what n…. to do. O…. Noah’s family would be allowed on the ark,
among all the p…. of the earth. The ark had to be built q…. since it would
begin r…. s….. t….. feeling overwhelmed and u…. qualified for such a v….
important job. Noah built the ark before the w…. rose. He must have been ex…..
By the time it was finished. Y….. he didn’t stop until the last z…. was on
board.
Hints:
A
boat. B trusted. C build. D ruined. E attempt. F shape. G huge or very good. H
assistance. I teachings. J become a member of, or affix. K boat part. L what
you kiss with. M oversaw, or was capable. N shoelace in a tangle. O alone. P humans.
Q in a rush. R precipitation. S in a short time. T considering that. U below. V
much. W liquids. X tired. Y but. Z striped beast.
Have
a blessed week!
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