Joy Comes in the Morning – Day 8

Increase My Faith

“All I really need is just a little more faith to believe what I already know.” – Bryan White

Scripture Reading:  1 Peter 5:8-9, Mark 9:14-29, Hebrews 10:38-1:1, Hebrews 11:7 and 11, Isaiah 7:9b, Hebrews 10:23

It was one week from my oldest daughter’s wedding day…  Opening my eyes, my first thought was an urgent one.  That is rare for me, usually I have to get the first cup of coffee down before there’s a lot of activity going on in the noggin.  But not this day, I wanted to go see my momma before the wedding.  It was a fact, it was urgent, and it seemed kind of silly since she lived 5 hours away and I had a LONG list of stuff to do over the next 7 days.  The earliest we could leave was the next day (Sunday) after church and it was a long trip to just “see” my momma for a couple hours.  I thought “Don (my husband), is not going to go for this. Especially, since we are going to visit her right after the wedding.” I decided to ask if we could go for a quick trip, and to my surprise, he immediately agreed.  You see – my mom was not going to be able to travel down for the wedding and I knew how much that broke her heart.  My mom had serious health issues since birth, but always overcame each and every physical set-back.  She was born with one functioning lung and I PROMISE, if God gave my mom 2 healthy lungs, no one in this world would be able to keep up with her!  You would never know her “pains” because she kept it to her herself and pressed on with joy, constantly serving and putting others before herself!  Our family had a lot of discussion about her traveling to the wedding, but we all finally agreed that because of her current health issues, she shouldn’t. It just wouldn’t be good to even try.

Now, back to January 1, 2017…..  my husband, my youngest daughter, and myself, hit the road towards Charlotte, NC to make a quick trip and hug her neck before turning back home to finish the wedding festivities.  We left immediately after church, arriving around dinnertime that day.  Her health was declining and I was so thankful we came.  I sat by her bed that night and, per her request, read some Psalms and other Scripture passages, and sang hymns.  We both quietly fell asleep that night to the hymns… I was in the chair by her bed.  I woke up around 3 am to my dad’s voice, “Linda, I think Momma is gone…”.  What?  It couldn’t be!  I jumped out of my chair in shock!  It was true… she was gone.  The angels had come while I slept by her side to carry her to Heaven.  There’s so much to this story that I can’t begin to share, because I know you can’t sit here all day reading, but I’ll try to share some of the most amazing things that God taught me and continues to remind me of because of the 1st week of 2017.

• He will guide us!  Looking back, I know that it was His direction in my heart that woke me up on December 31st with the urgent desire to go see my mom.  It makes me beyond thankful to know that my Lord knows what is ahead and is able to turn me and direct me in the way I should go.
• Assurance of salvation!   I am beyond thankful for the assurance that I have in knowing that because I surrendered my heart and life to the Lord and His will – asking forgiveness of my sins, believing that He sent His one and only Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins, defeating the grave after 3 days, and He now sits at the right Hand of God the Father – that I am saved and will spend eternity in Heaven with Him!  I know my Mom is finally healed and in Heaven with her Savior too!  And one day, I will join her!  It’s so wonderful to know that she doesn’t hurt anymore and that our separation from each other is not permanent.  She loved the Lord with all her heart, soul, and mind!  She was a light for Him to everyone who knew her!
• His Word is true!  I was in shock, my heart was shattered, but His Grace was, and continues to be, sufficient for me.  I was able to function, to move forward, to wake in the morning and breathe…He carried me!  Showing me that 2 Corinthians 12:9 is true “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” His peace literally blew my mind. We don’t even have the words in the Webster Dictionary to describe it.  It didn’t make sense to me that I could feel that kind of peace during such a heart-wrenching time.  Showing me that both Philippians 4:7 “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” and Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” are 100% true!  I did not fall and I was not fearful of the future.  Showing me that Isaiah 41:10 is true, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”   And by the end of that week, one that started out as a “worst” in my life, ended with joyful rejoicing and dancing in the marriage of my children.  Showing me that Psalm 30:5 is true “Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning”.

Don’t think for a second that my heart doesn’t still hurt.  I can barely type this through the tears falling down my face. I’ve had to take breaks just to stop and weep, but through this time, God truly increased my faith to believe what I already knew, because of what I experienced!  He is faithful, He will never leave us, His peace is indescribable, His grace is enough, and He is able to give unexplainable joy – when we trust Him with our lives.

Because of His Amazing Grace,

+Linda