1. I got a nasty concussion while snow tubing last Sunday. My 5th concussion--pretty impressive, but not fun to recover from.
2. My close friend Bekah Moore left for Nepal for TWO years, with minimal communication possible.
3. Two dear classmates and friends from my small hometown of Rockford, Minnesota were killed as they fell through the ice on a lake while snowmobiling. Both of the boys were buried today.
So as to say, these two weeks haven't been the best ever. As I've sat in such great physical and emotional pain these past few days, I came to wonder what in the world my God is doing. It'd be so great to confess some deep, inspiring meaning that I've found behind all of this in my life, but I can't. The only thing that I can say is that God has a purpose in all of it, and He understands.
As I was listening to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (listening to audio books in the dark became the only thing I could do besides sleeping for a while!), I was shocked by a statement made by Aslan. As he was being led to his death, he stated that he was "alone and sad". For those of you who haven't read or seen anything about Narnia, Aslan represents Christ, so that statement took me aback. I think I forget that sometimes-- Jesus had physical and emotional pain too.
"He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not"--Isaiah 53:3
Jesus had emotional pain, as seen here, and also physical pain, as seen in the Cross.
However, Jesus had perfect communion with the Father. He knew what was going on, and could His plan in all of the pain. We, on the other hand, do not. Often times when I find myself in the midst of some great pain, I question God in why He let it happen in my life. But there is hope in this, because God knows what good He has in all of it.
1. This concussion was more severe than past ones, so the recovery process has not been great. However, as I was not allowed to read, write, watch tv, or use the computer, I had a lot of down time on my hands. This led to plenty of time to think and pray that usually do not have.
2. My friend is going as a missionary dealing with human trafficking, which is awesome! I'm excited to see what He does through her.
3. It's hard to see the good that could come out of my friend's deaths, but I know God is doing something. I'm praying that He calls those in Rockford that are mourning to His comfort and love, and that they would turn to Him with their lives.
Whatever situation you find yourself in at the moment--and I'm sure all of you could share some story about pain in your life as well-- know that God has a purpose in it. He knows exactly how you are feeling, and knows exactly what He's doing with it. The only thing we can do is bring it to Him. Bring Him your hurt, your tears, your pure exhaustion. He knows, He cares, and He isn't finished.
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." --Romans 12:12
No comments:
Post a Comment