Friday 31 October 2014

How God is a husband to me

Hi, Ray, and Bloggers,
The following letter is one I sent to a dear friend who has lost her father recently and lives in a rather unhappy marriage.
 
The list below is something that has been a great comfort and encouragement as I have thought it through.  Perhaps it will bless some of you, too.
 
Thank you for your letter.
I am in the midst of having the front deck replaced, as it has rotted some since it was built in 1992!  Phew.  Today I removed the brick pavers that are on each side of the sidewalk.  You probably remember.  They need to be reset.  By removing them myself it saves some of the cost of labour, etc.  It was a beautiful day here today—sunshiny like yours!
 
My heart beats with yours as you experience so many who want to be consoling and helpful but just do not know how to, really.  I appreciate their efforts and love them for trying.  We can’t expect them to know what we are going through—ha, because I can’t put it into words myself!  God has promised grace to us, through us, I guess.  You expressed your feelings very well.
 
I am finding the Comforter very comforting.  Just the other day I read in my very favourite devotional book, Come Away My Beloved, how God is our husband.  It is so right where I am at!  I was amazed:
 
“O, My beloved, ye do not need to make your path (like a snow plow), for lo, I say unto thee, I go before you.  Yea, I shall engineer circumstances on they behalf.  I am thy husband,  and I will protect thee and care for thee, and make full provision for thee.  I know thy need, and I am concerned for thee: for thy peace, for thy health, for thy strength. . .ye need to take time to renew thine energies, both spiritual and physical. . .They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  And Jesus said, Come ye apart and rest a little while. . .I minister to thee in solitude that ye may minister of Me to others as a spontaneous overflow of our communion.  . .Set thy heart to be at peace and to sit at My feet. . .Learn to be ready, but not to be anxious.  Learn to say ‘no’ to the demands of men and to say ‘yes’ to the call of the Spirit.  Etc. Etc.
 
The next morning I was lying in bed I began thinking of all the ways God is a husband to me.  It became quite a list-- some are Scripture, some are songs:
 
He is altogether lovely.  I am amazed that He has chosen me to be His
He loves me with perfect love.  Unfailing, unchanging.  He is the Lover of my soul
He is always with me
He cares for me and provides everything I need.
He notices my tears and keeps them in His bottle.
He forgives me
He is patient with me
He holds me by my right hand
Underneath are the everlasting arms
He hears my cry, He listens to me
I can hear His voice as He speaks to me—by the Spirit in songs, messages, my devotions, etc.
He remembers
He comforts me in my distress
He sings over me
He is my Helper
He is a Rock, a firm, trustworthy Person
He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own, and the joy we share as we travel there. . .
He keeps His promises
He whispers “peace be still” to me
 
Of course, I told myself, God is so much more than a husband could possibly be.
He knows all things, and everything about me and my circumstances.
He created all the beauty He has given me to enjoy
He took my infirmities and sicknesses
He gave me His Spirit to empower me.
He planned my whole life for me—before I was even born.
 
The list could go on much longer!  You probably already think it’s too much!  Ha.
One thing I know, I have no fear, for He is with me.  There is none upon earth that I desire beside Him.
I hope some of these thoughts will encourage you, too, my precious friend.  Thank you for praying.  You are on my prayer list, too.
It seems your husband is a very driven person, taking on more and more.  Perhaps there is something in his upbringing that caused him to need to prove he was better than. . .could win the approval of . . .needs a lot of affirmation???
Bless you for hanging in there, making lemonade out of lemons.  You are such a beautiful person, and I kind of wonder if it is because of the things you have suffered.
Love you,
Marcia

Carlin's birthday

Dear Marcia,
Thinking about you and praying for you on this day which would have been Carlin's birthday.

We both wish that you will experience God's comfort in a very special way today.

Love Ya,
Mary and Bernie Schmidt

Monday 27 October 2014

Condolences

Dear Marcia, Cheri, Lynda and Becky:
I learnt a few weeks ago that Pastor Carlin is now with our Lord.  I wanted to write and send my deepest, heartfelt condolences.  My husband and I were blessed to have known him as our pastor in the ten years that we attended Willingdon Church in the 1990’s.  He touched many people with his warmth, charisma, and sense of humor.  I remember him as a man of deep faith and prayer.  May you be comforted and may it bring a smile to all of you, knowing what a beautiful example of Christ-likeness, he was to those around him.  We loved him as our pastor during the years that we were at Willingdon Church.
There are many things I remember from his sermons.  Here are two of those precious nuggets.  In one sermon, he gave, he talked about what we own in life.  He said that we don’t really own anything and no-one owns us as, first and foremost, we belong to Jesus.  With a chuckle, he added that new parents might think their babies “belong” to them or perhaps that their babies “own” them, given that no matter how tired, parents get up in the middle of the night and attend to their newborns. 
This idea that we don’t own anything, and that all we have actually belongs to God, has helped me get over various “losses” and disappointments  in my life - including the sudden passing of my father almost 15 years ago.  The unexpected departure felt cruel - almost violent -  especially considering the difficult life dad had had, and that he was eagerly anticipating his retirement.  In the months of grieving that followed, Pastor Carlin’s sermon came to mind several times.  As I thought about the message he had shared all those years ago, I was able to relinquish dad to our Lord and move on  to acceptance and gratitude.  Dad had been “on loan” to me for 35 years.  Now the Lord was calling him home. 
The other nugget of encouragement was this one.  Pastor Carlin was talking about prayer.  At one point in the sermon he said he had no theological proof of this, but he thought of a large room that existed in Heaven, filled floor to ceiling with things that God wanted to give us, but we had never asked for.  This image has remained with me all these years.  Sometimes when life gets difficult and  complicated,  and I turn to prayer, unsure of exactly what to ask for,  I think of that room.  And I am inspired and encouraged.  In simple faith, I ask that Thy will be done.  I am confident that blessings  are on their way -  from that room.
We thank the Lord for the many ways Pastor Carlin touched our lives.  May God continue to bring you comfort and peace.
With deepest condolences,
Hilda and David

Saturday 25 October 2014

God orchestrates

I'm here at the cemetery. The headstone was installed this week. It looks really nice.

I stood here thinking over how our God so orchestrates our lives, how I married Carlin, how we lived, how God so beautifully gave us our wonderful girls and then their families. So blessed.

Tender Father, thank You for loving us, for keeping us all those 51 plus years. I am so comforted to know the steps forward are also orchestrated by my God!
Wish you were here. Love to all of you. Mom--Marcia