One day last week I woke to a rainy morning and excitement that maybe, finally, the fires in North and South Carolina would be put out. But as I opened the curtains I was inundated with a mass of leaves covering our yard and I had this smothering sensation come over me.  I had missed one week of mulching and cleaning and I knew that from what I was seeing it would take days to clean this mess. And then the rain came down harder.  Rain will press down the leaves and they will be filled with water for days and they won’t be able to be picked up because they will clog the lawnmower.  I got more stressed thinking about it.

I think sometimes our lives are like this.  No – I know that our lives are like this. We experience this clogged and suffocating sensation.  We allow ourselves to be overwhelmed and burdened with things and when it comes right down to it they are not important.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. I Peter 5:7

How often do we follow these words?  Why is it so hard for us to trust that God is concerned and caring for his people?

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you.  You will seek me and fine me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11

Yes, it’s so simple and yet we analyze, mull it over, question, and deny the one beautiful thing that God has given us – unconditional love and acceptance. And all He asks of us is to believe and have faith.

My family is experiencing something these days that everyone in the world experiences – impending death.  We are watching my father slowly leave this earth.  When I reflect on death, yes, I know, is a part of life, but the experience is still one of suffocation and sorrow.  At the same time, it is excitement for what is to come – newness! This newness will be standing in the presence of the Lord and feeling no pain for we will have a new body and fresh eyes to see all the glory that God has prepared.

In this experience, I have sought wisdom.  Wisdom to act and say the right things and know when to be quiet and reflective and it is very hard.  I’ve seen the crazy’s come out of the woodwork and try to take advantage of my mother in her grief.  I’ve seen friends and family struggle with the words to express their sorrow and personal grief. But in the end it’s okay.  We are all searching for grace in a situation that is profoundly hard to deal with and yet as Christians to maintain our faithful belief in the hope of eternity. Hope is there, right in front of us. We just need to have the faith to reach out and grasp it with our hearts and our minds and to commit to the change that it brings in our lives.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26