July reflections

After taking almost the entire month off (which I didn’t intend to do, but life happens), here I am again.  I’m ready to present more content.  You know that I have probably 3 or 4 pent up blogs in me, right?  But I’m going to reel it in as much as I can.  With that said, let me just dive in.

July seems to feel heavier than it used to.  It was in July that several notable losses occurred.  For example, it was in July, back in 2002, that one of the first shocking losses of my life occurred; our beloved pastor named Rick Ferguson passed away at age 46.  To this day, I still quote truths that Rick proclaimed.  For instance, he often said, “If we knew what God knows, we would want what God wants.”  I recite that statement, and they inspire me to choose God’s plan for me, no matter what. 

The biggest loss of my life was also in July.  9 years ago, my father ended up having his 'home-going' (if you will) to Heaven sooner than anyone anticipated; he was only 60.  I still miss my dad.  The Christmas in July programming doesn’t help.  Recently, I saw a Christmas film where an adult daughter was mourning the loss of her father who loved Christmas very much.  That storyline hit me hard, because my father loved Christmas a lot as well.

I would be remiss if I didn’t stop here and talk about how grateful I am for the truth of the Bible. One day I will see men like Pastor Rick again; I will see my Grandpa again – who passed back in 2008 – and I will have a wonderful reunion with my dad.  Because these men have a right relationship with God, through faith in Christ, as do I, one day I will see them again in Heaven.  I could write a whole blog about this, but to put it succinctly, I love 1 Thessalonians 4 where we are told that we are not to “grieve like the rest of men who have no hope” (verse 13).  There will be a glorious reunion in Heaven.  Verse 17 sums it up: “And so we will be with the Lord forever.”  Thanks be to God for this hope!

So, not only has July been an ordeal because of loved ones in Heaven now, but I confess to you that this July has been difficult because there are intense storms of life that I’m currently enduring.  Once again, I could go on and on, but in short, life can be very hard, and I have felt the stress of this reality.  In fact, not long ago, I was feeling overwrought.  The best way I can describe it is it felt like my knees were buckling under the weight of life’s challenges.  It was a powerful moment of worship when I was listening to Matt Redman’s classic song “Blessed be Your name”.  Frankly, for a time all I could do was just listen, that is, until a certain section of the song played; I sang aloud during this stanza: “You give and take away.  You give and take away.  My heart will choose to say, ‘Lord, blessed be Your name.’”  

Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I look up to the hills, but where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (NCV).  As I was putting this blog together, I read all of Psalm 121 to my mother, and I emphasized verses 1 and 2.  I did this to encourage and fortify us both, because these verses had been on my heart of late.  After the reading, my mom commented on how one might be feeling sad and discouraged, but even in the midst of this, how powerful it is when one chooses to recite and practice these verses.  How right she was!

God bless,

Kevin