Archive for » June, 2010 «

29
Jun
Loss
meg

Not too long ago a dear friend of mine from college lost her brother. I can’t begin to imagine the grief she and the rest of her family must be feeling right now. My own brother is so very dear to me. She must be feeling such a sense of loss right now. This brother of hers was serving his country over seas. He was fighting for a controversial cause that has this nation torn in two. Just the same, I’m proud that he was over there, doing what he felt called to do.

The Bible says that only God knows the number of our days (Psalm 139:16). With my husband in the military, I have to hold on to this truth. I have to trust that even in the midst of evil, God holds the future of my husband and myself in his hands.

But I’m sure it doesn’t make the pain and loss any easier for this family, nor would it for me.

As I was looking through pictures people are posting of this departed brother, I smiled at all the funny ones, teared up at the more sentimental ones, but was struck most of all by one simple picture. On this man’s back was a tattoo of Psalm 91. The very Psalm that has spoken to me and so many of my military friends. Here’s what this wonderful Psalm says,

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation (NIV).

This world is a scary place. Throughout our lives there will be many things we face that seem impossible. But God is there. Just as I have to trust that he was there with my friend’s brother on that fateful day. He did not fail to protect him, but decided to take him home, to heaven, in that moment. No, I don’t understand why, I probably never will, but I do know that He grants eternal life to all those who believe. So this Psalm rings true, even for those He decides to take home.

This hasn’t been an easy post to write. Please don’t think I have all the answers, because I don’t. I’m only a girl, serving my Savior, and trying to make some sort of sense of this crazy life. At times, all I can really do is pray for those in pain, that God will meet them where they are.

A final note to my friend: I’ll leave you anonymous for the privacy of you and your family, but please know I’m praying for you today. Please know that my heart reaches out to you during this tough season, and that, through it all, God is still God, ready and waiting to carry you.

Category: Psalm  Leave a Comment
28
Jun
Friends for Seasons
meg

I am awful at making new friends. Blame it on my shyness, or my introvert nature, or the fact that I just love being in my own house, in the midst of my own things. No matter the case, there’s still no excuse for me sometimes. I have chances to reach out to others, and I ignore them. I have felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit time and again, and I turn a deaf ear.

I know it’s wrong. I know that I need to try harder, but I often don’t.

But then I think about all the times I did reach out. I think about all the friendships I’ve had over the years that have blessed me in so many ways.

There was my friend in high school who used to pass notes with me between classes. We played soccer together, baked concoctions that might be identified as cookies, and had a deep love for NSYNC. She was a special friend, in a special time of my life. Although we may live over a thousand miles away, she’ll always be important to me.

There were my kindred spirit friends in college. From day one we found ourselves bonded together through a new adventure in life. We share secrets and dreams, crammed for tests, and laughed at the silliest things. I have so many great memories with these girls.

There were my coffee friends, people I would meet once a week or so over a cup of joe to talk about school, love, relationships, and God. Some of these girls were in college with me, some in grad school, and some even here in my new home. Coffee is such a great way for girls to connect. I’ll never get tired of chatting about everything under the sun at a cafe or at someone’s house. It’s such a blessing to me!

Yet, I still struggle when the military moves us to a new location. I look over my shoulder and compare those friends from the past with my present reality. I miss what is behind me, instead of looking at what God has given me in the here and now.

In the midst of all this, God gave me a small blessing today. My neighbor and I had a chat on the phone, in which she expressed her desire to throw me a baby shower. She, and the other girls in our community, wanted to bless me this way. ME! The girl who has barely gotten out of her comfort zone enough to say hello to her neighbors. ME! The shy one, who has yet to learn most of her neighbors names. I’ve hardly reached out to them at all, yet they want to do something for me.

I’m so undeserving. And so utterly grateful. Once again God has shown His love to me in a practical way. He’s encouraged my neighbor to reach out to me, when I was afraid to. He’s helped start a new friendship in my life, which I’m so thankful for.

What a day this has been!

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23
Jun
Our Strong Tower
meg

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9 NIV)

God really does surprise us sometimes, doesn’t He? We have our plans for the future all set, and then He throws a boulder in the middle of our path, directing us in an entirely different direction. As much as I’ve dreamed over the years, I would never have imagined myself in this exact place. I never imagined myself being married to a military man. I didn’t think that I’d be making new friends and adjusting to a new climate every couple of years.

But I love this life just the same. I love all the twists and turns and unexpected surprises God is placing in my life.

The military life can be tough sometimes, but it can also be filled with so much joy. My husband and I love exploring this new place where we live. We looked forward to finding new trails to hike, new museums to visit, and new types of food to try. We love this life of adventure.

At the same time, we get lonely for family living far across the country. We miss old familiar faces, and a church at which we truly felt at home. We struggle making new friends and adjusting to new places.

But I think these struggles are good. God seems to use each new experience to draw us even closer to you. It’s as if He’s saying, “Yes, I’m directing your feet in a new direction but no, I’m not going to leave you there to fend for yourself. I’m here, reading and waiting to be your strong tower, your strength when you are weak. Depend on me.”

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10 NIV)

Category: Proverbs  Leave a Comment
10
Jun
The Mouse Dilemma
meg

Hello all, sorry it’s been so long since I posted. Things have been going well in this military household. Summer is creeping in, and we’re getting all that much closer to greeting our new little one, only about three months until he or she make their appearance.

The month of May brought a plethora of visitors to our house. It was so great spending time with all of our family, but it’s made June feel extra quite by comparison. I have plenty of little projects to work on this summer, before baby comes. The problem is that I have trouble focusing on said projects. Sigh. I guess I’ll just have to take this whole pregnancy thing one day at a time.

The most exciting thing to happen to us happened this morning, when my handsome military husband walked upstairs for his customary kiss goodbye before he headed off to work. (On a side note, I love seeing my husband in uniform. It never get’s old. And there’s nothing dreamier than waking up to a goodbye kiss from my hubby, sigh).

Back to our story: As my handsome hubby walked into the bedroom, he spoke to half-asleep me and informed me that there was a mouse down in our kitchen. A mouse!

Now friends, there are few things I dislike as much as mice in my house. They are more than welcome to frolic freely in the great outdoors, but coming into my house is a big no-no. Well, needless to say, my hubby and I drastically differ on how to dispose of the said mouse. I am more than happy to dispose of the creature in the quickest way possible, while hubby wants to humanly catch the little thing and release him in the wild.

Sigh. We’re such different people. This morning showed one more way in which we differ. While I was seriously petrified of the little monster, my hubby was trying his best not to laugh at me and the current mouse dilemma.

How do two such different people make a life together, I sometimes wonder? And why do I still love my mouse-loving husband?  Sometimes I don’t know. All I do know is that I’ve chosen to love him unconditionally, even if he does save mice.

I chose to focus on 1 Corinthians 13, which tells me what Godly love looks like:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always persevered, Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV).

I suppose this means that I need to be patient with my mouse-loving husband, and persevere through this moment of trial. Hopefully the little creature will be gone soon, and I can give my house a vigorous cleaning.

Sigh, there’s a lesson to be learned everyday, isn’t there?

Category: 1 Chronicles  2 Comments