This is it – the one year anniversary. At my house snow flurries can be seen but the wind is blowing at such a speed that the snow is flying straight by the window rather than falling on the ground. Add to that the bitter cold created by a temp of 25 and it’s a mighty cold morning. But not in heaven; in heaven, all is well and perfect.
As a family we want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement in the past year. Things have been tough and 365 isn’t a magic number that makes all things well but it does signify we’ve made it – all of us. I know many of you are thinking of us today because you have already let us know that and I can’t tell you how much that means to a wounded heart.
As we walk into year two I thought the best way to begin would be to allow Eric to “talk” to us. Today I write straight from notes left on his desk in one of the many notepads he always had around. The lead line on this page was “Dealing With Our Losses and Disappointments”; an appropriate topic for today which I hope will encourage you many times over. So this note is from our heart to yours with many thanks and much love:
I. Refuse to believe that your loss or disappointment is God’s rejection of you and your prayers. Jesus never leaves us: Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5,6. Feelings of having been rejected by our Father are not uncommon when we suffer loss of any kind:
~Jesus on the cross felt God had abandoned him (Mark 15:34).
~Martha and Mary felt Jesus had abandoned them and their brother Lazarus (John 11).
~Jacob experienced it when he thought Joseph was dead (Genesis 37:34,35).
~Naomi felt rejected when her husband Elimelech died and then her sons Maholn and Chilion died (Ruth 1).
~Job, of all people felt rejected by God as he suffered loss upon loss (Job 10:1-7).
NOTE: Exceptions to the above are rebellion and gross sin (II Samuel 12:15-23).
What happens when we feel God has rejected us?
We feel hurt
We feel mocked
We feel helpless
We feel confused
We feel alone
If we feed too long on the natural feelings that come with loss and disappointment we will begin to experience character traits that are harmful to us and those around us, such as bitterness, anger, coldness, backsliding, gross depression.
II. Pray to the Father to send you the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
A. God is the God of all comfort (II Corinthians 1:3-5). Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter six times in John’s Gospel (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7-11;16:13-15).
B. The Holy Spirit will manifest His comfort in several ways:
~ He will pray through us (Romans 8:26)
~ He will pray the will of God over us (Romans 8:27)
~ He will make sure that everything happening in our life is working toward our good (Romans 8:28)
~ He will help us become transformed (Romans 8:29)
~ He will make us more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37)
~ He will not allow us to become separated from the love of God under any circumstance (Romans 8:38,39).
III. Get Hold of God’s Eternal Perspective
A. Everything we do, everything we gain, everything we lose, will all balance out as we step over into God’s eternal kingdom. Everyday we take one more step closer to eternity.
II Corinthians 4:16-18; 5:1 – We are to press toward the ultimate goal. There are many goals we will set and attain in this life but the ultimate goal is heaven. Philippians 3:14-16, 20, 21
That is the end of his notes. How ironic (?) his last line was “the ultimate goal is heaven.” He has reached the ultimate goal. Those of us left here will keep “press(ing) toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14 NKJV) and he’ll be cheering us on!
JEV 