thoughts of mine

I was encouraged to write from a friend we haven't seen in awhile. He told me he reads my blog sometimes and wondered why I hadn't written much. That sent me on a path of thought to review the past few years. Drew and I had been taking care of a friend who was terminally ill. For two years we lived with him, fed him, helped him bathe, filled his needs and tried to make the last few months of his life wonderful. I believe we did this as we loved as unconditionally as we could. Yes, we made mistakes, but we always felt like God was going to redeem us. It was a stressful two years. Last fall our friend had to move into his mothers house and because of our attachment to him we all decided it would be best to not remain in one anothers lives. It was hard. We were stressed in every area of our lives. Emotionally. Physically. Spiritually. Financially. All were a wreck. We needed Jesus more than we ever had needed him before. For 2 months we did nothing but sleep, go to counseling and try to figure out what to do. In a sense it was like we lost a child we never had. For those 2 years that we took care of him, we didn't do anything else. We gave up our families and friends, each other and ourselves. We hardly ever visited anyone and no one ever came over. We lost ourselves.

7 months later we are slowly finding ourselves and one another again. We have recently moved which has been AWESOME! God has led us to an unbelievable church with the kindest people and neighbors who have already become dear friends. We are excited about our future. He seems to be moving all things into place for us, our future, and our family.

God truly is making all things new.

I was at a show recently and talking with a friend who told me he wasn't mad at the circumstances in his life, but just disappointed. I was struck by this statement because, well, that's not ok. And because I understand. But, I believe God is not a God that disappoints. I TOTALLY BELIEVE He will give us what we ask if we come to Him asking for it. I TOTALLY believe if we claim His scripture we will receive and the things that man tell us don't matter. MAN IS FAULTY! I read a scripture that night at focus. 2 Corinthians 1:3-10

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
 8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us


The thing I got out of this scripture is that God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (v3). HE comforts US so that we can comfort those who need his comfort. Sometimes in certain situations we cant comfort in a way that we don't understand. For example, I have several friends who have had miscarriages. I feel the loss they feel in that I don't have any children. And I have a compassion for any loss that people have to go through. However, there is a depth to that specific loss that I will never know. (and hope not to know) But there are other losses or things that I have felt deeply that I now can comfort others through. God has comforted me and led me, pushed me, drug me, carried me, skipped with me, walked with me through many situations (emotionally, physically, spiritually) that I couldn't do on my own. And now I am able to give that comfort to others feeling that same deep loss as I did/do.

But--it goes on to say, "If we are distressed, it is for your comfort, if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same suffering we suffer." To me, this is saying the pain I am going through is to produce patient endurance in others who are also going through the same thing. I guess it isn't all about me. :) AND--we have hope because just as we share the same suffering, we will share our same comfort (which is God).

And v. 8-9 says Paul and peeps were so stressed and going through hardship they even thought they were going to be sentenced to death. I feel troubled, but I know I have my life-for now. But he says that it happened so they would rely on God and not ourselves. Lord help us, more of You and less of me.

BUT then the BEST PART is v. 10

:He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us! On HIM we have set our Hope that he will continue to deliver us, And back in v. 9 he mentions that we might rely not just on God, but on "God who raises the dead."!

What does this mean? Holy crap, it means if we put our Hope in Christ he will comfort us yes, but we must remember at all times HE IS THE GOD THAT CAN RAISE THE DEAD!!!!! You need a miracle?

I know I do, and I'm praying for one. And God is going to give me one. We put our hope in Christ who can take something that is dying, dead, broken, missing, damaged, and HE can RAISE IT UP! I love God.


The problem for me with this scripture (however much I love and believe it) is that word that haunts me....Hope. In a cd that I just got from a dear friend the description had this sentence, "There are still women who weep hopeless tears." May we cling to the promises of LIFE and RESTORATION in the scripture and press into it. Write it on our doors, windows, fridges, mirrors, pictures, skin, hearts, cars and everywhere else we need to until we believe it.

Oh, God--give us your comfort...and then raise the dead.