While I feel the need to write that sentence, I feel equally embarrassed and ridiculous to claim this week as a hard week for me. You see, what qualifies as a tough week for me pales immensely in comparison to others who have had the toughest week of their lives.
I have been so overwhelmed this week by tragedy and loss of those around me..........some of these families I know on a personal level, and while I have never met others, my heart has been broken over what they are walking through. Children have lost their mother and now have to experience every milestone in their life without her. Parents have lost their young children and now have to go home to their bedroom to pick little toys up off the floor..........desperately wishing they could see them be played with one more time. This week I have been timid of turning on the television because of all the updated breaking stories that inform us of additional fatalities due to natural disasters. I have been overwhelmed. The Lord gave me the gift of compassion, which I am thankful for, and He has used this gift through His calling of my life. However, in weeks like these, it feels like a burden. I have struggled to take my mind away from these tragedies. I have laid in bed at night thinking about these sweet families, wondering how in the world they will ever be able to sleep peacefully again. As I drive down the road, I feel literal pain as my heart aches thinking about their reality.
I have been overwhelmed.
Weeks like these cause me to become emotionally exhausted. Not only because of the ache in my heart that breaks for their pain, but also because of my own personal struggles. These sweet souls are walking in the trenches of my worst fears. I am 100% confident that Satan, the author of lies, uses these tragedies to attack my weaknesses. Because my biggest fear is facing the loss of my loved ones, weeks like these cause me to struggle. I know that Satan wants me to become crippled by this fear, and if I'm being honest, a week like this one normally causes me to fail in giving him a foothold. I know that I do not deserve to be free of such an immense loss any more than these hurting parents who are now burying their children do. This week I have found myself continually kissing my girl's forehead as they slept, and as I've listened to them breathe I thank the Lord that I got to say bedtime prayers with them. Then, as I lay my head on my pillow, my heart breaks as I think about the parents who can't do the same. I don't know why these things have to happen. I don't know why parents have to bury their children, or why a little girl can never wrap her arms around her mothers neck again. But here's what I do know.......
God is still good.
In the midst of our heartache, He is full of compassion and comfort....
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort." 2 Corinthians 1:3
When we feel weak, He will give us strength....
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Even though we feel forgotten, He has already promised to never leave us nor forsake us.....
"For the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6
He will carry us through our pain, wipe our tears, and restore joy....
"...weeping may last for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5
In the midst of our fears, He brings peace.....
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27
When speaking to a mother who just lost her child, I know that I have no words to offer her that will take away her pain. But what I do know, is that the God of all comfort is wrapping His arms around her and will carry her through her pain. He has not left her side and is holding her close as she asks Him, "Why??" He is there, in the midst of the pain, catching every tear that falls from His little girl's eye. While He never promised us that we will live our lives free of trials or heartache, He does promise us that He will give us the strength we need to persevere through them. Let us trust Him with every facet of our fears and every detail of our life, knowing that He will meet our needs with a love that is beyond all measure. May that trust give us the confidence to approach His throne with an eternal perspective, knowing that no matter the path.........He is worthy to be praised.
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