Quite A Week!
This
has been quite a week! So much has happened in a very short period of time. As
of last weekend, Joanna and Nathaniel returned to their respective colleges for
the semester, leaving Kim and I to once again adjust to a house without any kids. Monday into Tuesday came the snowstorm that
kept us housebound for at least most of Tuesday (which did result in some
really great chicken soup and homemade bread to compensate for the aching back!). Wednesday afternoon I received a text from my
sister that the closing on my parents’ house (the house in which we grew up)
was done; the house was no longer ours—I shed a few tears. Thursday my mom was released from the nursing
home she has been in for rehabilitation the past few months. We moved her back
to the assisted living facility she had previously been living in, with a bit
of hesitancy yet, hoping for the best. Needless to say, my mind has been
spinning. It’s been a lot to process all at once.
We
all know, lots can happen in short periods of time. Throughout much of our lives, life goes on
according to its normal, and sometimes almost boring, patterns. We have our
routines and schedules. We know what to expect. But, then there are those times
when our lives get interrupted—by the loss of a job; by a sickness that keeps
our bodies from doing what we expect them to do; by a family situation that not
only throws our schedules but as well our emotions into a tailspin. And, often these things happen very suddenly
and quickly. Sometimes they come all at
once.
So
what do we do when we have a week or a month or even a year like that?
Jesus
said, “Do not let your hearts be
troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”
(John 12:36 - NIV) The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians
4:6 - NIV)
The
Bible calls us to come to God with all of our needs and trust him with our
lives. We are invited to come to God in prayer, petitioning him for his help,
grace, and provision, knowing that he loves us and has promised to be with us
and take care of us.
Let
me share with you the words to an old hymn that has put it so well:
Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counselor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand. (Lina Sandell)
No matter what
happens today, this week, or this year, put your trust in the One who has
promised to be with you at all times! Have
a great day.!
Pastor Tim Harris
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