God's Faithfulness

We are again entering a new year.  We have left 2020 behind.  2020 was a very difficult year in many ways with COVID fears and trials.  Some of us also experienced other serious trials in 2020.  Yet God was also faithful to us during the long months of 2020.  We may experience new trials in 2021 as well, but we can face 2021 with joy in the Lord and with a certainty of His faithfulness.  

In this blog post I would like to remember and testify to God's faithfulness to me in the past years.  I will speak of the illness and death of my first husband, the events that occurred in the following years, and my eventual second marriage to my current husband, Bob. 

Ten years ago in 2011 the new year ushered in the death of my first husband, Wayne.  He turned sixty-five years old on January 1rst.  The next morning on the 2nd, my son and I found that he had passed away sometime during the night.  This was after four and a half years of him becoming more and more disabled due to his neurological disease.  At the end he was completely dependent on my son and me for everything.  During those four and a half years of caring for Wayne, I also fought my own eight month battle against breast cancer. 

Those years caring for my husband, Wayne, were difficult years.  The years as a widow following the care-giving years also brought grief and sometimes loneliness.  Yet I also experienced so much of God's faithfulness.  I further grew in my love and personal relationship with my Lord.  I grew in my dependence on Him. 

During those years I discovered that "the Lord will fulfill His purpose for me;" and that His "love endures forever (Psalm 138:8).  Difficult times does not change that.  God can bring good even out of tragic and difficult things (Romans 8:28).  In fact, He can  "do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us"  (Ephesians 3:20).  He further promises "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

A few months after Wayne's death I started working at a volunteer job which helps caregivers and their loved ones.  Later I wrote my book to encourage caregivers, called Dear Caregiver Reflections for Family Caregivers.    https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Caregiver-Sharon-Vander-Waal/dp/1629524263/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482027543&sr=1-1&keywords=Dear+Caregiver  

At one point an article about two other caregivers and me was published in the New York Times online. https://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/after-the-caregiving-ends/  Later I was also able to have an article written about my experiences in Guideposts. https://www.guideposts.org/caregiving/hope-and-inspiration/stories-of-hope-for-caregivers/the-gift-of-caregiver-respite   

All these experiences had nothing to do with any capabilities on my part, but they were all because of God's grace to me.  They showed that God can use incredibly difficult circumstances for His  glory and even for our ultimate good.  They showed that He is always a faithful God.

Then in September 0f 2018 I began dating my present husband, Bob, and in July of 2019 we married.  This was after over eight years of me being a widow, and it was something I never anticipated happening.  It was one of those "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" experiences."  It is part of God's plan and purpose for my life now.  

We had the song, "I will Never Leave You," sung at our wedding.  This song is based on the Hebrews 13:5 passage mentioned above and is a testimony to our belief that God will always be with us in the days ahead, as He had in the past.   A rendition of this song can be found here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWxbYzAUYPA  God's purpose, grace, promises, faithfulness, and love in our lives are amazing.

And now later this month it will be 18 months since Bob and I wed.  We did not anticipate not having even a whole year of marriage before COVID issues hit our world.  Yet we have been together through it all.  We also have been a support to each other through difficult extended family issues, and we pray about these issues together.  We have had to adjust to each other's expectations and quirks as well.  Establishing and maintaining a godly marriage requires effort and prayer.  Yet this marriage too has been a wonderful love gift from God to us.  He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.  He is always faithful.

This also reminds me of another song sung at Bob's and my wedding.  The lyrics of the chorus of this song as sung that day were this, "Through it all, through it all, we've learned to trust in Jesus.  We've learned to trust in God.  Through it all, through it all we've learned to depend upon His Word.  Yes, we've learned to depend upon His Word."

God With Us

The Christmas presents are unwrapped for most of us, and the year 2020 is almost over.  Year 2020 certainly has had it's challenges, but there has also been huge blessings.  Now we look ahead to year 2021 with it's challenges and blessings.  

Psalm 62 talks about trusting the Lord at all times.  Psalm 62:8 says, "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."   Psalm 62 tells us that in God alone we find our rest, hope, and salvation.  He alone is our rock, refuge, and fortress which can not be shaken.  He is a strong and loving God.  

Circumstances may be difficult, and people may fail us, but God will always be with us.  We can always trust the Lord. The Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament calls Jesus, Immanuel, which means "God with us."  (Immanuel is also sometimes spelled Emmanuel.)  

God is with us because Jesus came to this earth as a baby.  He was God incarnate revealed to us.  He then lived a perfect life for us that we can't live and finally died to pay the penalty for our sins.  He rose again and is in now in heaven, but He is still present with us through the Holy Spirit.  So the book of Matthew begins with a promise that God is with us.  The Gospel of Matthew also ends with a promise that God will surely be with us "to the very end of the age."  What a precious promise! 

Let's carry that precious promise with us as we seek to live out the last days of 2020, and as God ushers in the new year, 2021.  Click on the link below and enjoy the song, "Emmanuel (Hollowed Manger Ground)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvauItps_YU

Gifts

 What kind of Christmas do you anticipate this year? Perhaps your Christmas will involve a lot of extra work for you in addition to the challenges and responsibilities of other life activities, or perhaps you are feeling isolated and ignored and all alone this Christmas in your daily burdens. Instead, however, perhaps you will experience Christmas this year as a reminder of your blessings and as a blessed respite from the drama of life's challenges.

Whatever we experience this Christmas and with every gift we receive at Christmas or at any time of year we have to open our hands to receive the gift; or the gift does not benefit us or give us any joy. The gifts we receive which are eternally precious, however, are the gifts which God wants to give us.

The Lord first offers us the gift of salvation which is what Christmas and walking with the Lord is all about. He further offers us the accompanying gifts of joy, peace, and hope. They are ours for the taking; and yes, they can coexist with the pain and heartache which often are present in life. Further, the Lord promises us a happy ending. That happy ending is eternal life. Christian reader, the heartaches that sometimes come in life are but a comma in your life story. They are not the end of your life’s story. They are not the end of your loved ones' life stories either.

We also can all receive other gifts. We can receive the gift of trust in God and letting Him control our lives. We receive this gift by resting in Him and by letting go of anything which we are holding onto too tightly or trying to control.

We further all have to let go of feelings of unforgiveness for people who have not been there for us. We further have to receive the gift of forgiveness for ourselves.  We have to bring to the Lord any true wrongs, and ask for His forgiveness. Further, we often carry around a lot of false guilt about things beyond our control. So whether false guilt or true guilt, we need to let it go. We need to give it to the Lord. Trust and letting go are great gifts to have in our lives.  Receive the gift of releasing it to the Lord.

One great gift we can give ourselves is the gift of acceptance of our situation. We often waste so much energy wishing circumstances were different, but we can rest assured that we are right where we are supposed to be in our lives. Dear Reader, your responsibilities may be emotionally overwhelming at times, but in the measure that you can accept where God has placed you now in your life you will find joy. It is a great gift you can give yourself.

Yet another wonderful gift we can give ourselves is the gift of being still in the presence of God. (Psalm 46:10) Doing this helps us grow in peace, wisdom, and insights. Finally, we can give ourselves the gift of gratitude. When we are grateful in spite of our circumstances our joy and blessings will multiply and resentments will flee.

Would not these be wonderful gifts to have in your life? These are wonderful gifts not just for Christmas but all year long!

Christmas Hope

December is the month that we think of Christmas and hope.  Is your life weighed down with care and worry this Christmas season; or is it filled with hope?  This year in 2020 many people have felt weighed down with COVID issues.  Others have experienced other trials in addition to the COVID issues. Perhaps you have lost a job, or are caring for someone who has a serious illness. Perhaps you are fighting a serious illness yourself.

During the holiday season we are reminded of the birth of Jesus Christ. Over two thousand years ago before Jesus was born most of the people were living without very much hope.  Then in Luke chapter two of the Bible we read that an angel appeared to Mary and told her that she was being blessed by God's grace in becoming the mother of Jesus.  Jesus Christ was coming as the Savior of His people!

Mary's response to this was openhearted acceptance (Luke 1:38).  Mary would suffer many immediate problems being the mother of Jesus.  She would experience many heartaches in her future. Because Mary now had hope, however, she was willing to accept God's will for her life with joy.  A life secure in the Lord's hope can move with confidence through life in spite of difficulties and challenges.

Life can be very heartbreaking and challenging.  There are times when the circumstances of life can be overwhelming.  But like Mary in the Bible we too can have hope no matter what our circumstances.  Dear reader, rest your heartaches with the Lord. Know that He is the source of strength and hope.  His hope is not a wishful thinking type of hope, but it is a hope based on His certain promises in the Bible.  His hope is secure and will never leave you.

Blessings

 We just celebrated Thanksgiving Day in the United States.  We are also entering the Christmas season.  It is a time of year when we think of God's blessings.  God's greatest blessing to us is that He sent Jesus into the world to pay for our sins and to pave the way for us to have a wonderful and intimate relationship with Him.

We also experience many other blessings from the Lord.  There are material blessings, and there are emotional and spiritual blessings.  Every day God provides good and wonderful blessings to our lives.  We just need to open our eyes to these blessings and to look for them.  Sometimes we may not see these blessings when we are going through difficult trials.  For many especially because of the COVID 19 virus or other difficult circumstances, 2020 has been a year full of trials.

Nancy Gutherie in her book, The One Year Book of Hope, points out, however, that blessings do not always come in the form of things we consider good.  Sometimes blessings come in the form of hardship.  This is because trials and hardships can grant us perspective on what is important and meaningful in a way nothing else can do.  This is because they often lead us on a pathway to the Lord.  As we surrender to the Lord in times of hardship, we find God in a new and vibrant way.  In times of trial God often reveals Himself to us.  He also often gives us a peace that we can find in no other way,

In times of hardship and trial God bends down to us.  He enters into our lives and meets our needs in a personal way.  He not only does that, but He reveals Himself and gives Himself to us in unique ways in those times.  It is because of this, in those times we receive God's blessings.  We receive God's blessings in and because of the trials.  We find the blessing in the Lord Himself and not in material outward things or in our own perceived achievements.  Let's thank God for our blessings.

Though None Go With Me

 Are you ever puzzled with God's plan for your life especially during difficult moments?  Do you ever wonder why a sovereign, all-powerful, and loving God allows hardships and grief in our lives?  About a year ago my new husband, Bob, and I watched a  powerful and thought provoking DVD that I have in my possession called, "Through None Go With Me."  This movie addresses some of these questions.  The movie is also based on a song with that same title.

In this movie the main character, Elizabeth, went through a series of heartbreaking circumstances that could have destroyed her faith.  In her young adulthood she had vowed to always follow Jesus no matter where He lead.  Yet in the course of her life she lost her first love, her father died unexpectedly, and her son and his wife were killed in a car accident.  Later her husband, Will, developed dementia, and she eventually lost him to death.

Perhaps you are questioning why God has allowed certain trials and hardships in your life.  We all face deep trials and hardships at times.  There is no easy answer to this question, but we can know that God is a wise God, and He sometimes allows and appoints suffering in our lives both for our good and to encourage others.  When we trust God in times of hardship God is glorified and others are encouraged in their faith.  Elizabeth, in the movie to which I referred, was able to better serve and help others because of her suffering.  She was able to relate to others better and thus help them in a more productive and loving way.

Suffering helps us run to God more quickly and can help us to love Him and His Word, the Bible, more intensely.  His promises in His Word can become very precious to us during those times  Throughout the years that I was my first husband's caregiver, saw him deteriorate step by step. and then die; I clung very tightly to God and His Word.  I also did so when fighting breast cancer some years back..  During times like these we can say to God, "---in faithfulness You have afflicted me." (Psalm 119:75)  In times like these we can see that God is good.

During times of hardship we also learn patience and humility.  We further ironically grow in our joy.  Joy increases in times of trial when we respond to trials with submission.  This is because we learn during these times that only Jesus is our ultimate joy.

What is your heartache or hardship today?  Run to Jesus.  Remember and make the words of the song mentioned above be your theme for life.  "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.  Through none go with me, still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back." Then yet another song flows through my mind.  It is a song sung at my wedding to my new husband, Bob, 16 months months ago.  That song says, "Through it all I've learn to trust in Jesus.  I've learn to trust in God.  Through it all I've learn to depend upon His Word."


Here is a link to the song, Though None Go With Me:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG-Pvqv2PHs

And here is the link to the song, "Through It All": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcE9-AngoeM

Thankfulness

 

This year I am very thankful for many things.  One of them is my marriage to my new husband, Bob, a little over sixteen months ago on July 13th, 2019.  This was after many years of watching my first husband, Wayne, deteriorate in his health and then eight years of being a widow.  I am thankful also this year for the beginning of a restored relationship with a loved one and seeing this loved one begin his life anew even though there are still many struggles.  I am also thankful for many other things like life, health, and a host of "little things" which I so often take for granted.  I am very thankful that God has kept both Bob and I healthy so far through the whole COVID virus crisis in which we are now living.  Above all, I I am thankful for my salvation and for my personal relationship with my Lord.  

Yet for many of you the holidays can be a discouraging time, if you or your family are going through difficult circumstances.  It may be difficult to find things for which to be thankful in such a scenario.

Yet a thankful heart opens up blessings from heaven and foretastes of heaven that cannot be attained in any other way. A thankful heart further revives hope and allows us to communicate on a more intimate level with the Lord. A thankful heart does not deny the reality of life's challenges, and life certainly presents a host of problems and heartaches. A thankful heart does, however, recognize the Lord's presence and joy in the midst of those problems.

So perhaps the best place to start is to thank the Lord each day for His presence and peace. Also as you go through the day look for even the Lord's tiny treasures which He has placed on your path. Look with spiritual eyes for His wonders in your life. I have mentioned this before but I remember as a caregiver being challenged to write down each day at least three things for which I was thankful that day. That helped me immensely in persevering in the care-giving role.

It is said that a thankful heart takes the sting out of trials and adversity,  Life often produces many challenges and trials. Yet we are commanded in the Bible to give thanks in everything. We may not always FEEL like giving thanks, but when we offer a SACRIFICE of thanks in spite of our feelings or circumstances, God gives us joy in spite of our circumstances.

That does not mean we always feel happy. Happiness and joy are not the same thing, but joy in the Lord and grief can coexist. It may seem nonsensical to thank God in and for difficult circumstances. Yet in the measure that we do so we will be blessed, even though the adversities may remain. Thank the Lord today for His blessings!

In the United States we are celebrating Thanksgiving Day this week. It is a day when we especially try to remember to thank and praise God for the blessings of the past year.  Life is often challenging and difficult. Yet there are many blessings in our lives even in the most difficult of moments,  Thank the Lord for your blessings daily and not just on special occasions. It will lift your burdens and add joy to your life.