I was going along on life's road, doing what I knew to be God's will. When, out of nowhere, in a moment of time, life changed! My world, as I knew it, became empty and void of direction. Now all I have are the memories of yesteryears and the struggle to keep believing in the promises God spoke to me many years ago.
I found myself in a place of indecision, trying to hang on but knowing that what God had said could no longer happen. I knew God does not lie, but I also know we can stop His will in our lives by our actions on Earth. I knew God is faithful and always will be.
It seemed I had come to a dead end on this road of life. No longer could I see by faith; my life, as it had been, was no more. Death had taken its toll on me and shaken my very foundation. The love of my life had gone to live with his Lord. My trust in God as my Savior stood firm, but all else was unsteady.
The emptiness I felt was almost unbearable, but God never forsakes you. He answered a prayer for me and placed me in a job where I could touch the lives of others. I am so thankful as I reflect on His wisdom concerning my life; He is so loving and gentle.
I found myself doing things that were unlike me, not knowing it was God leading me in a direction I had never been before. Following the desires of my heart but praying for God to give me discernment about where I was in life. Feeling guilty and wrong because I wasn't content. God has a plan! If we can believe and rest in that fact, He will bring to pass what we never thought was possible.
Being faithful is the key to blessings, faithful to His will, just doing what you know is right and leaning on Him for direction. Very quietly He leads us, gently He guides our steps as we keep on traveling through this life. He rewards us in many ways. The greatest is when He gives us souls for our labor. He gives us favor as we follow Him, and He knows He can trust us. Favor in ways we have never expected but are blessed by His kindness. My Father is good.
Life is full of many hurts and pains but also love and joy. I am thankful that God chose to allow me to live this life; He has been so very good to me and blessed me beyond words. He gave me a family who loves me, children who have blessed me, and I am honored to be their mother. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren have warmed my heart with love.
My greatest prayer is that my life has touched and enriched my children and grandchildren in some way for the God who created them. He only allows me to have a small part in bringing them into the world; they never belonged to me. They were put in my care for a few short years but in His care forever.
I look back and regret many things I did and didn't do with them. But today, my trust is in the Lord; I can't change yesterday. I pray that my love for God and my love for them will help bring them into a relationship with the One who loves them more than myself.
I know within each one, there is a heart that longs to know their Father God. A place inside that only He can fill. I trust my Lord and His promises. He told me many years ago, all my children would know Him and have peace. I rest in that hope. I refuse to look at the here and now, but with eyes of faith, I see them, my five children, thirteen grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild (as of now), sitting around the table in the paradise of God, as if it's already taken place.
Life here is short; it's only a vapor, and it's gone. Babies are born every day to fill the empty places of those who have lived and died. God has a purpose for each new life, as we are preparing here for eternal life with God, where there will be no end. This life is hard and full of problems.
God's word says, "Rejoice at the death of a Saint," "Weep at the birth of a child." We have it backward. The only hope we have here is in "Jesus Christ" and life eternal with Him. There is a place of peace, joy forever. A place full of purpose and love. We have only a tidbit on Earth of what Heaven is like; God has given us a little taste. Remove all sin, sickness, pain, and heartache from Earth and replace it with God's love and Jesus' presence, and we would have Heaven.
God sees over every hill and around each curve; He knows what tomorrow holds for each of us. As we trust Him and believe He is powerful enough to guide our lives, then at the end of our days, we will be exactly where He intended us to be all along.
While we're here, there's only one thing that matters: what we did with the message of "Jesus Christ." If only everyone could see the truth, that we live a few short years and then we are no longer here, but we are somewhere, either with Jesus or in a place that is void of God's presence.
The question is, how did I spend my time that was given to me here on Earth? Did I fulfill my purpose? Did I complete my mission? "I SURE HOPE I DID."