Happy spring! I am a lover of winter, but even I have my limits. Here’s to daffodils and peony shoots and birds chirping loudly in the morning.
My college girl and I were busy thrifting and running errands and visiting an art gallery and French pastry shop last week, so I didn’t have much time to come up with the usual Four Somethings for this monthly linkup.
I missed a gorgeous sunrise the other day. It was during my younger daughter’s spring break, so my schedule was already a little wonky. Randy was home sick, which made it even more so.
I finally got outside to run just when the sky was finishing its glorious display. As I gazed at the last vestiges of gold and mauve bouncing off scattered clouds, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Beautiful dawns don’t happen every day, and it had been a while since I’d seen one.
This week of all weeks—when it seems like so much is going wrong and getting worse—I would have welcomed this visible reminder of God’s magnificence, creativity and immutability.
And yet, as I craned my neck to see the fading splendor behind me, I knew in my heart that even when the heavens aren’t displaying the glory of God in a way that meets my expectations, He is still very much on His eternal throne.
It reminds me of a Psalm I read a few weeks ago. Since dawn is my word of the year, verses that mention sunrise or dawn or morning catch my eye these days. The rest of the chapter seems timely, too, for many reasons.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people.
He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord. (Psalm 113)
Whatever is going on in the world, at the gas pump and grocery store, in our churches and even on social media, God is sovereign over it. I can’t offer any commentary to put it all—or even a tiny part of it—in perspective, but I can say this.
No matter what happens, praising God for who He is and what He has done is always a good response.
From dawn to dusk. Come what may. Praise the Lord.
And, if given the chance, testify to God’s goodness in your life. For example, this Saturday is our 28th wedding anniversary. After all this time, Randy and I are still in it for the long haul.
Truly, God has settled this “childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children.” And I couldn’t be more grateful.
♥ Lois
Even when the heavens aren’t displaying the glory of God in a way that meets my expectations, He is still very much on His eternal throne. Share on X No matter what happens, praising God for who He is and what He has done is always a good response. Share on XP.S. I’m linking up this week with OneWord2022, #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Recharge Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.
I haven’t confirmed it, but I have a feeling Philippians 1:6 is underlined in every Bible I’ve ever owned:
“I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (HCSB)
This verse was a particular favorite during my teen and early adult years. When things weren’t working out according to my plan, I could rest in the confidence that God wasn’t done with me yet, that He would finish whatever He had initiated in my life—in His way and in His timing.
Lately, Philippians 1:6 has come to mind frequently as I think about loved ones who long to know what’s ahead, who sometimes struggle to see a way forward, who grow weary in doing what they know is right.
God finishes what He starts, the Apostle Paul makes this clear. A specific work may take a few weeks or months, or it may encompass an entire lifetime. But if it originates with God, it will get done—one way or another.
That said, God’s good works don’t necessarily correspond to our wishes, preferences or even our heart’s desires. They don’t always result in health, wealth and happiness. Pruning, shaping, molding, opportunities to grow in patience, kindness and endurance—these are all good works that don’t always feel very good.
As hard as it is to undergo a spiritual “procedure” like this ourselves, it can be even more difficult to watch a loved one go through it. There’s no hurrying up of the process; there’s so much that has to be left up to God’s timeline and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The good news is, if we’ve experienced the good work of God in our lives and perhaps even lived long enough to see some fruit come from it, we—like the Apostle Paul—can be confident about it for others. We can hold on to the hope that God will complete what He has started in them, even if they can’t see it ever happening.
Not that anyone has to see it for it to be true, of course. It’s biblical truth, not wishful thinking.
This reminds me of Eugene Peterson’s book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. It’s a great book, for sure, but the title is a wonderful message all by itself.
This long obedience often looks and feels different in your sixth decade than it does in your third or fourth, however.
When we’re younger, it’s hard to wait for God to work. It’s hard to trust in what He has willed and planned, as the song says. It’s still tough as we get older, but we have more history to look back on. We can see evidence of God’s goodness and faithfulness sprinkled throughout our lives, even during our seasons in the wilderness.
Sometimes we have to squint to see it, but it’s there.
Especially now, when we have so many legitimate reasons to be discouraged or despondent, Paul’s words to the Philippians bear repeating until they are firmly entrenched in our hearts:
“I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
♥ Lois
God finishes what He starts. A specific work may take a few weeks or months, or it may encompass an entire lifetime. But if it originates with God, it will get done—one way or another. Share on X If we’ve experienced the good work of God in our lives, we can be confident about it for others—that He will complete what He has started in them, even if they can’t see it ever happening. Share on XP.S. I’m linking up this week with #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Recharge Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.
The grief experts call them secondary losses—those poignant times when a loved one who would have been there is not there, and, no matter how long it’s been, his or her absence is felt, sadly and deeply.
It could be a milestone life event like a wedding or graduation. A holiday meal. An opportunity to share a bit of good news.
Or, as is the case right now, a war on the other side of the globe.
I remember calling my dad on 9-11, after watching the planes crash into the Twin Towers. A first-generation German American from Milwaukee, he moved to New York after college to work and get his master’s degree at Columbia University.
“Oh dear,” he said when I told him what was happening.
Somehow, just knowing he knew helped.
It was like that over and over again in my life. My dad, who voted in 17 presidential elections and knew more than anyone else I knew about most things, didn’t necessarily offer comforting words during tough times. What he offered, probably without even realizing it, whether in person or over the phone, was his comforting presence.
If I’m being totally honest, I’m not sorry my parents passed away in 2019 and weren’t around for the last two years. My mom would have been 90 this year, my dad 89. Chances are, if they hadn’t succumbed to Covid, they might have died of old age.
They’re with Jesus now. I can’t bring them back, nor do I want to.
But I do miss them. Oh, how I miss them.
My girls are near the age I was during the first Gulf War. They’ve lived through far more world and national turmoil than I could even imagine at their age. They’ve certainly been exposed to more of it, thanks to screens and 24/7 news cycles.
The difference is, I’m the parent now. I’m the one who is supposed to offer the reassuring words about the latest catastrophe, national or personal.
I don’t understand all the events, ramifications and consequences, political, spiritual or otherwise. I just know enough to know whatever is going on—here and abroad—is unsettling and deeply confusing.
So what’s a mom to do?
Fortunately, at least when it comes to the latest headlines, I’m not sure my girls need as much comforting as I did. (Shoot, who am I kidding—like I still do.) They have different personalities and struggles, but it doesn’t seem as if they are as prone to worry as I was for so many years.
I think I’m asking for myself, rather than for them.
Where does my help come from?
Who is the source of my strength?
It’s not my parents, as a collective unit. Not my dad. Not even my husband, as comforting as it is to be on this journey together with him.
My help—and yours too—comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
The God who holds the whole world in His hand, who goes before us and is with us, who hung the stars in place and keeps the planets in orbit—He alone is our ever-present refuge in time of trouble.
I can’t call Him on the phone like I called my dad during unsettling times. But I can pray—anytime, anywhere—and know that my heavenly Father hears and understands.
• • •
Do you have a loved one who personifies comfort for you? What aspect of God’s character is encouraging you the most right now? Share your thoughts in the comments, if you please.
♥ Lois
This post is part of a collection called Help for Parent Loss. To read more, please click here.
My help—and yours too—comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Share on X The God who holds the whole world in His hand, who goes before us and is with us, who hung the stars in place and keeps the planets in orbit—He alone is our ever-present refuge in time of trouble. Share on X
No doubt, the world is a heavy place these days.
What’s weighing you down might be different from what’s weighing me down. It might be the exact opposite thing, in fact. That seems to be how it is right now, in all sorts of categories.
I’ve mostly been thinking of my One Word for 2022 as a noun—dawn, the beginning of a new day.
But it serves as a verb too, as in when a potentially important thought occurs to us out of the blue.
For me, this usually happens in the shower, or maybe three-quarters of the way through my morning run when the endorphins are coursing through my veins.
Something dawns on me—an idea, a realization, the missing piece of the puzzle that I’ve been working on in my mind. It could be something practical. Or a few words I might need to share with someone close to me.
Just the other day, when I was running down the trail, something completely random popped into my head. There was absolutely no reason why I should have thought about this right then. And yet, there it was.
It wasn’t an earthshattering thought. But it was another piece of evidence of how God guides and directs our steps in ways that are often hidden from us until much later.
(I don’t know how this works with anyone else. Please share in the comments if you have an insight.)
I get plenty wrong. And yet, when something dawns on me that feels weighty and consequential, usually my knower knows.
Often, it’s a bit of common sense that I had missed before. Other times, it very well could be the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.
What to do about it—if and when to share it, for example—these are the questions that come next. If it involves speaking to someone else, I’m finding that waiting is usually best. I might write it down, think about it, pray for wisdom (and more wisdom).
I let it simmer, sometimes for days. When I finally do share, it might lead to an a-ha moment for someone else. Or perhaps just a “that’s nice, mom.” I don’t know this in advance, of course. And maybe it’s better that way.
Especially these days, with so much discord, chaos and uncertainty swirling in the world, our emotions can easily distort our thoughts. God might feel distant in the middle of the whirlwind, but He is with us. He guides us in paths of righteousness, for His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3)
He speaks to us—through His Word, mostly, but also through other people, through circumstances, through random thoughts that seemingly appear out of nowhere.
We have to be careful, though, what we listen to, and to whom. We need to check what we hear and read and sense against the truth of scripture. Just because something makes us feel better about what we are experiencing or struggling with doesn’t mean it’s right.
This goes for me, for you, for anyone we might feel led to share our thoughts with. No matter the topic, we do well when we pray, “Send your light and your truth, let them lead me.” (Psalm 43:3)
♥ Lois
God speaks to us—through His Word, mostly, but also through other people, through circumstances, through random thoughts that seemingly appear out of nowhere. Share on X Just because something we read or hear makes us feel better about what we are experiencing or struggling with doesn’t mean it’s right. Share on XP.S. I’m linking up this week with OneWord2021, #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Recharge Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.