Goodness

The 4th of July was so much fun. We enjoyed great friends, food, and family. The girls swam the day away and were way more excited about their glow sticks than all the fireworks. It was, by far, one of the best 4th's we have had in a long time.

While the 4th was fun, it provided a great distraction from other events happening in our life currently. As of 2 weeks ago we found out that Dave has a chance of losing his job on the 17th of this month. For those tracking the timing, that means 10 days before giving birth to our 3rd child. And by chance, I mean about 80%. We're praying right now that we land somewhere in the 20% range.

When I first heard, my emotions went a bit crazy. I'm not an emotional person, so crying makes me really uncomfortable. But this particular evening, I sat with my kids and allowed the tears to flow. I knew we were not alone in this situation as many, many people are experiencing lay offs these days. But it was my children and their provision that weighed so heavily on me.

After my emotional evening I started to think a bit clearer. As a family who serves the Lord we know that He is sovereign over all things. We know that He has not left us nor forgotten us in the midst of our pain. What is difficult to understand, at times, is that He is good, is incredibly loving despite our circumstances, and has a deep, deep love for us. I recognize for some this is not a struggle, but for me, it is.

I am encouraged by this family who lost their child and despite their immense pain is still praising God for His love for them and His goodness. I love their dependance on scripture and their open eyes to see the blessings, such as the impending arrival of their second child.

I love this post (from a previous favorite link Friday) about understanding the goodness of God, again, despite incredible amounts of pain. I love her quote:

"But He does not protect us from the living of the bad dreams and from feeling we are lost. He whispers to us through our pain that there is a life beyond the present suffering. He sits silently with us in our anguish--in the nightmares so real and heavy and terrifying, the ones that we cannot escape or blink away. He reminds us that the seemingly endless grief is but a moment that will fade in the vast expanse of the Life to come."

So I'm sitting here tonight remembering that God loves me and will sit with me in pain. He loves my family and He knows what lies ahead. He is neither surprised nor is He unprepared to help us walk through the suffering. He never promise's to deliver us from suffering but to walk thru it with us. I have peace. Dave has peace. We will wait and see what He has planned.