Todays blog is dedicated to my precious niece, Allison, and her darling daughter, Ruby Lynn. Alli's husband, Drew, went ahead of Allison and Ruby to check out their mansion in the sky. While we will have to wait to get there to find out why The Lord took him sooner than we wanted, we trust that He has great plans for Drews' girls as they cling to their Hope in Him. And we're pretty sure Drew has already painted their mansion orange and blue.
Dear Allison,
I recently attended
a conference where the main theme for the weekend was The Power of a Story.
Several people shared powerful stories. A neuroscientist, Curt Thompson, led
the weekend as he connected the brain activity that occurs when hearing others
stories and telling ours.
One of the
"storytellers", Marvel DeWitt, shared her family's journey through
the months and years of grief and heartache following their 26 year old son's
sudden death caused by a drunk driver.
As friends
ministered to her with words of encouragement, some of them mentioned the hole
in her life due to her son's absence. How would God fill this hole? Those of us
who know that God is in the redemptive business readily assume that God would
fill the void with something of great value and purpose.
Several years
following her son's death, as she was still waiting for the hole in her heart
to be filled, the Lord revealed to her that sometimes there are holes in our
lives that remain for a purpose.
Before the
accident, Marvel had been listening to a radio program where the speaker talked
about wanting to be a sieve for the Lord. Someone who would sift out the good
from the bad. She thought to herself that she would prefer to be a
colander. Someone who would allow
thankfulness and love and joy and peace and the other fruit of the Spirit to
flow freely from her life.
Holes can
bring great beauty to our lives. Not only do they serve to allow the healing
and freeing attributes and characteristics of Christ to splash out onto those
we come in contact with, but they also provide a way for Light to shine
through. Matthew 5.14 says, "You are the light of the world. A city on a
hill cannot be hidden." Holes can illuminate His light and cast out
darkness.
My prayer for
you is that in the days and years to come you will see a small glimpse of the
beauty of your holes. Holes do not signify incompleteness. Rather, they are
great deliverers of the goodness that God longs to pour out on others through
your story.
Love you,
Aunt Chelie
Alli and Ruby Lynn
(photograph "borrowed" from Keva Davis:)
What beautiful words of encouragement! I was touched by them as I remembered my brother and his family who were taken way too early in their lives. I know God has used my own experience to be a light to shine through the sadness of it all. He has brought comfort and love that passes all understanding. Thank you for sharing!
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