While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." ~ Luke 24: 36 While most days when I sit down to write my blog, I often will pray and ask that God walk with me through my words. Today, I must admit, the journey has encountered sadness for my son and his wife.
Three months ago we learned that they were expecting our third grandchild. While we were surprised, they were ready to press forward and our excitement and sharing began. Last Thursday they learned that the child had died, and they began to plan for today's procedure in the event the child did not pass on its own. The pain that a parent has for their grown children is compounded when the parent realizes that there is nothing you can do to help. There aren't words, just our holding them close to us, even when there are hundreds of miles between us. Private pain is something we all encounter in our lives. The simple words of Christ, offering, "Peace be with you," surrounds my thoughts and prayers that I have for these two. Watching my son grow into a man, a husband, and an amazing father has now been taken to a new level. He is now the one providing hope, even as he grieves. As we have shared of the events of today, leading up to the time my daughter-in-law was taken back, there were these words I prayed for him as well, "Peace be with you." When we fail to find the response, or the words that we need to hear, silence, or peace that only God can provide, is what we can always offer to one another. Peace be with us, as we stay in God's grip... G. Todd Williams (c) 2018
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"...and I will be with you always, even to the ends of the earth." ~ Matthew 28:20 Someone asked me once when was the first time that I knew about Jesus? Knowing the person, and the person's faith background, I know the question was more about my salvation, and wanted a "saving" story. Some faith traditions focus on the moment that a person accepts Christ as part of their salvation story.
I just remember telling the person, "I don't ever know a time when I didn't know who Jesus." I'm pretty sure that is not the answer the person was looking for. I grew up in a family where my grandfather was a pastor, and my dad and his brothers often sang in church, or would sing hymns when they were together. Additionally, when I was young, my first grade teacher was married to the pastor of the church that our family lived next door to. I remember Vacation Bible School and songs we learned as children that often told of Biblical stories. I just don't ever remember a time when I didn't know who God or Jesus was. Still, I hadn't answered the question the way that my friend had hoped. Finally I then shared about a time in my life that I felt so very distant from God and what that felt like. A time that was very dark in my life, and I couldn't understand how I couldn't seem to find comfort in the prayers that I was praying, or the faith that I had always seemed to depend upon. I think at this point my friend was really not following where I was going in my answer. "So, you struggle?" "Yes! I think that if all of us are honest with ourselves, there have been, or will be, moments where we may struggle. That's when we are to remember the words, 'I will be with you always, even unto the ends of the earth.'" Our relationship with God, and especially Jesus, is one that is unique. It takes many forms, and frankly, I'm grateful for our own personal journeys. It reminds me that God is present, but that no matter what our situation, or how we are feeling, Jesus will always be present as well. Our relationship with God is meant to be easy, and simply filled with the knowledge that God will always be near. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 And Mary said, My soul will magnify the Lord... ~ Luke 1:46 The series of events leading up to Christ laying within a cradle made from a place where animals gather to eat, as angels proclaim throughout the heavens that a child has been born where even "lowly shepherds" hear the announcement and wise men travel from far distances, there is the moment that Mary is told that she is "with child."
Today we retell the story, and rejoice with the mother who seems to realize her chosen path, and sees it as something that she was created to do, but there is another side to the Christmas story that many struggle to accept, and that is for those mothers and fathers who have lost a child, or have never been able to conceive. It is hard for us to be sensitive, when we are busy singing Christmas carols to recognize the sadness that some people face each time that they hear of the immaculate conception and feel emptiness. In today's world there are advances that detect the smallest of heartbeats, and photos of the miracle of cells growing and becoming the promise of a new generation. Pregnancy tests can be purchased at the checkout stand of many retail stores, and gender reveal parties have recently become a focused celebration where those in attendance find out whether there best friend or family member is going to give birth to a boy or a girl. The hopelessness that some people face in knowing that their story is different, can seem to overshadow the lights of the Christmas tree and the joy that seems to be expected. We seek to understand, but for many of us who have healthy children, our ability to walk with those who have never known, or have lost, a child, can keep us from being present for those who have. I remember over the years moving away from celebrating "Mothers" on Mother's Day, to celebrating "Women," because we have realized the pain that some mother's have experienced, and even for the children who did not have mother's that cared for them. While Christmas is entirely different, taking the time to recognize those who experience empty cradles can bring them closer to recognizing that this gift of a child is one that we can all receive as our own. Today I lift up those who have never conceived. Those who have suffered the loss of a child, and those who are still trying to conceive. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." ~ Isaiah 25: 9 There is something about sitting with someone as they are dying as the viel between this world and the next begins to fade away and the two seem to become one. A friend of mine referred to this time as having, "One foot in this world, and the other gladly in the next."
Years ago now I sat with a woman who was going through her transition and as she moved from this world to the next she opened her eyes, looked at me and shared, "I have just seen heaven. It is more than any of us can imagine. I picked out a bench in the most amazing park and you and I are going to sit and talk about this day together when you get there!" Her remark was said to me with conviction and her face seemed to glow as she continued on about what she had seen. I stumbled a bit over my words and I said, "It sounds amazing, but I hope that it is many years down the road for me." Now that I think about my remark, I sounded like a real "stick in the mud," kind of guy. She just smiled and said, "Guess what I've already learned about heaven as well? There is no such thing as time in heaven." I just remember smiling and saying, "Now that, would be heaven." Finding our way to this place is our own journey, but it is open to all. Since that day I have had many people share of what they have seen and felt as they have moved from their last breath here to their first within the next. It doesn't keep me from wondering about my own journey, "last day," here in this life and what I hope it will be like. Knowing that it will be filled with new experiences leaves me both excited and filled with wonder. "The Kingdom of God is at hand," John declares in the wilderness, but even for the One seeking a place to appear in our world must have been filled with many of the same feelings that we have about entering the next. For me, it is the realization that Christ made both the journey to us, and then encountered death as well. Christ provides for us the living and dying illustration of God's love, promises, and hope that we all will need when we, too, begin to make our way as we transition. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." ~ Isaiah 25:9 "I seem to spend more time living and remembering the past than thinking about today," a dear friend of mine shared who is caring for his wife who has alzheimers.
He continued, "I try to bring up things from the past because I've learned that this is where I can find Anne's spirit. Especially if I sing an old hymn or talk about a particular summer day when we first met." He stopped and looked up to heaven as if trying to get a glimpse of what to ask next of God. "At least she's not in any pain, and I continue to live each day with at least some part of her with me." Often these days I simply will ask him, "Did you see Anne's spirit today?" He knows what I am asking, and lately the answer has simply been, "No, but I'm hoping that we have one more good day, because I know that God is still real and present, even if she seems to be somewhere else." Our memories are something that contain both good and bad accountings of our days. For my friend, it is his memories that keeps his wife alive, even though she is actually present, but gone. Additionally, he continues to remind himself that even though he can't seem to find his wife's spirit present, he holds on to hope. Sometimes I will admit that I struggle to understand God being present when we seem to struggle. Knowing that God cannot pick or choose whether to be present because God is in all places at all times, the reality of the imperfect world we live in makes that presence being known even more difficult to find at times. It is the times that we can point to in our past when we can easily admit that, "God was there," that then makes the times we experience now that seem to be empty of God's presence less difficult. Being able to proclaim that "God is here," somehow helps to relate that our current struggle is not being encountered alone. God is present. It is in that knowledge that we can not only look back, while living in the present, and knowing that tomorrow will come as well, even unto eternity. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." ~ Hebrews 12:15 "I'll bet you know a lot about death?"
Yesterday I was spending time with a woman who will be one hundred years old next week. We were meeting for the first time, and were getting to know one another. I responded, "I bet you know a lot about life." She just smiled and said, "At my age, I know a lot about both." I then asked what advice would you give someone about living and dying and her response just flowed out. "You've got to know something about grace to do both well." She definitely is a wise person. Years ago I learned that the will of God will never lead us where God's grace will not sustain us. In living and dying, grace is the piece that brings us to the reality that God loves each of us unconditionally. It is the person who finds the worth in an old dirty penny on the street and reaches down and picks it up. It may take a lot of those to have any particular worth in the world today, but to God, each of us possess amazing value. I'm not comparing us to old, dirty pennies, but for many wounded people, they see themselves as having "less value," than others. Being a child of God means that each of us have worth. God's grace provides for each of us. I loved listening to this woman share of the events in her life over the past century. They were filled with many milestones. As we closed our visit, she once again reminded, "And don't forget, God's grace is always sufficient. To this day I don't understand how all of this works. I just know in my heart that it is." Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. ~ 1 Thessalonians 2:1 - 2 It always amazes me to think of Paul in prison, singing songs, and declaring that we are to give God thanks in all circumstances!
I wonder what Paul would be saying about now in today's world? Often times when I meet people they are in the final weeks of life. The mountains have been climbed, the valleys explored, and the journey's end just beyond the next breath. While we are reminded that our faith is something that is meant to be uncomplicated, or not difficult, it is easy to allow the things of this world to disrupt our way. I was on the phone last night with a dear friend who shared that her faith journey has become more difficult. As she shared that she prays each day while she drives to work, and that she spends time reading her Bible and studying, she just feels as if there is still something missing. I think if all of us are honest about our faith journeys, there are just simply those moments that exist. The important thing is allowing them to just be "moments," and not our lifetime! I will admit that I am thankful when I make it through the times my friend is experiencing, and as the two of us prayed together last night, there was a sense at the end of our conversation that things would be "okay." Our faith is not something that should be difficult, but when we do encounter struggles, we need to remember to reach out to others, and to press on... Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness." ~ Jeremiah 33:14 - 16 "We fumbled through drawers, searching for a book of matches, or an old lighter, but couldn't seem to find anything we needed. I held what was left of a small votive candle, while the storm seemed to continue to rage all around us. My children held close to me as I looked to find something that would create a single light that would allow us to see that everything was still okay around us."
The story was part of a conversation I had one day with a woman who talked about being alone with her children when a storm came up unexpectedly, knocking out their electricity, and leaving them in the dark. The question came when I asked about the "storms" that she had experienced in her life. Well into her 80's, she had already lived decades. As I listened to her share of valleys and mountain tops she had journeyed, this particular time of darkness in life came when she was left alone, to raise three children on her own, and she had no one to help her. It's amazing to think that a single light would have made a difference for her that night, "but it would have," she shared. She knew that if she could get even a glimpse of the room that she and her children were in, there would be a sense that everything would be okay. Instead she said, "We sat in the dark and just held one another, waiting for either the electricity to come back on, or the sun to finally rise." "It was a long, dark night." The days leading up to the first Sunday of Advent for me always seem to be surrounded with more darkness than normal. I don't know what it is. Perhaps I am more aware of the pain that people are experiencing. Maybe it is the unrest that seems to fill even the line at the grocery store as I look at headlines of magazines and newspapers that line both sides of the aisle as I wait to check out. Somehow, I am seeking to see that first flicker of light coming from the Advent wreath to once again feel as if things are going to be okay, or at least give me hope. Perhaps that's why the first candle lit in the Advent wreath is about hope. It is the reminder that a single light, a single child, is all that we need to begin to find comfort. It's not that the things of the world are immediately overwhelmed by the light of one candle that represents hope. It is, however, the reminder that any one of us can be the light to and for others in the storms that they may be facing. For any of us, it is a single light that illuminates the entire world, giving us hope that things will get better, and that hope, even on the darkest of days, exists still. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2018 |
AuthorRev. G. Todd Williams is the author of the book, "Remember Me When..." and is a former hospice chaplain and pastor. Archives
February 2024
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