I love reading about the miracles Jesus did. In Matthew 8 I read today about how he calmed the sea amidst a great storm. The disciples were so afraid, and yet he just slept. After the calming of the storm, he asked why they were so afraid? Why didn't they have faith in him? Then later I read about the deliverance of two men from demon possession. The images both situations bring to my mind: watching the waves and winds immediately cease at his word, seeing the men delivered and watching as Jesus cast the demons into a herd of pigs that then plunged themselves over a hillside to their death in the water below. The sounds, the feeling in the air must have been breathtaking. How incredible to be a disciple of Christ in that day, standing at his side, knowing him in his time here on this earth, not just following him in the spirit but in person. I can only imagine. I find it interesting that the disciples struggled to recognize Him and His power as the Son of God, and yet the demons in those two men knew who He was immediately and asked to be delivered from His very presence. Do we truly recognize Christ and His power in our lives today? Or do we allow the things of this life to distract us and convince us to question who He truly is? I think our actions speak louder than our words. Look at the way we speak to one another, our priorities throughout the day, our habits, our preferences, our needs, our desires. Who are we serving? What do our lives say about what is most important? My grandfather passed away this week, so I find myself reflecting upon the life I am living. Will I be able to say I lived a good life? He did, and he was ready to let go. My family has experienced the loss of my grandfather as more of a relief than a great loss. He was thankful for the life he lived, said he had lived well. He was not a man of many words, not easy to know and love but, we have many fond memories of him and loved him dearly. I know it will be a difficult transition for my grandmother, but I am thankful she has my parents to support her through this. I hope my life is the truest reflection of Christ that it can be and should be. I want to be able to say I know Jesus, really know him and that there is no greater power in my life. What a good God we serve, and isn't it amazing what He has to teach us if we are willing to be His people?
Joy and Light
Early Tuesday morning January 2, 2024, I got a call that my Mom was slipping away and the family should come. We knew she was not doing well these past couple of weeks as she had developed pneumonia and covid, and she was struggling just to manage breathing. When I arrived, the nurse brought me in to Mom's bedside, and quietly stepped out to give me some time alone with her before my Dad and my brother arrived. I cried like I have never cried before in my life, and went to my knees beside her, resting my hand on her arm. I have no words to describe what it felt like in that moment, the finality and the reality of it. My brain understood she was gone, no longer there. But my heart, regardless of how far gone Mom had been for years now..... my heart was suddenly flooded with the feelings, the sounds, the memories of her across my entire life, rushing through my head in that moment all at once. It felt like time kind of stopped, s...
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