Uncertainty, But Certain

The absolute greatest fear I have is the fear of losing somebody I love. Up until two months ago, I had no idea how hard losing somebody you loved really was. I did not know how I would react or how my family would react. I had no idea what feelings would be going on through my mind if it were to ever happen. I did not know how it would influence the relationships I have with my friends and God. Basically...I was uncertain of everything concerning such a situation except for the basic truths I know from the Bible(A.K.A. if the person who dies was saved by Jesus Christ, they will go to Heaven and if they had not made the decision to accept Jesus as their Savior, then they will go to Hell).

The day my grandmaw died I was not at home with my family, I was actually out of town with family friends staying with some of their friends. Everyone who I was with, however, were my brothers and sisters in Christ.

My mom called me on April 2nd saying something along the lines of, "Logan, I've got some bad news. Maw-Maw(my grandmaw) passed away last night in her sleep."Immediately, tears began to roll down my face. Every feeling I had ever felt in my life rushed at me like a tidal wave hitting me hard against the rocks. Realizing my greatest fear was rapidly becoming my reality caused me to become the most uncertain I had ever been. With uncertainty looming over me and with my head against a wall, I did not know where to turn, yet when I turned around to face everyone, Christ showed himself to me.

A good friend of mine once told me that your true friends will be the ones that laugh with you and also cry with you. When I turned around, the family I was staying with and the friends of theirs who we were staying with were all there. They all comforted me each in different ways. They reminded me of where my grandmaw was and how great of a time she was having in heaven. They turned my tears of sadness into tears of joy because of the certainty of where my grandmaw was.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. John 13:34

We have all heard this verse before, but I tell you that the people who I was with completely transformed the way I think about it. I had not known the people who's house I was staying at for more than a few hours, but they treated me as if I had known them for years. They did not know my grandmaw or me at all, but they still showered their love onto me just like Jesus commands us to. It amazed me, to say the least, to witness the love Christ talks about in action. Its like I did not really think people ever really practiced the command to love others until I saw it for myself in one of the hardest times of my life.

As I felt completely uncertain of what the next few days of my life would include I was certain of Christ's endless love and how joyful my grandmaw was.

As you continue reading over the next few days, you will realize their will be many more examples of Christ's love. Thanks for reading!

Job 33:28

Not So Far Away...

Hello Friends! If you are reading this, then you probably know I have not updated my blog in about two months. I do apologise for not writing in such a long time. However, I do have quite a bit of explaining and thoughts to share. I actually have so much to share that I have decided to write a little series where for the next week I will just write short stories about the subject at hand.

To make a very long story short, during the night between April 1st and April 2nd, my grandmaw died. As you may have read in previous posts, my grandmaw was a major part of my life. Granted to say, I have many thoughts, emotions, feelings, and actions that I will share over the next week. Today, I wanted to share one of the happier thoughts that were born from this whole experience.

When my grandmaw died, I remembered that I had sent someone a message who's grandmaw was going through medical problems and I went back to that message. The words I said in that message helped greatly in my situation. I thought it was very strange how God used somebody else's circumstance in which I was trying to help them to help me through my circumstance. But we know that God works in mysterious ways. Here is a portion of that message:

Concerning the situation with your grandmother: I found these two little stories in Luke and John that I think go really well together and if at all possible I hope and pray that these stories can be passed to your grandmother. In John 14:1-6 Jesus tells the disciples about the afterlife. Jesus talks about how how he is preparing a place for all of us(heaven) that will be amazing and that all who believe will be there with Jesus. Jesus is comforting us in these verses, but to truly realize how outrageously incredible heaven will be, I think that Luke 16:19-31 gives an indescribable story of heaven. These verses tell the story of how a rich man had an amazing life on earth(opulent to say the least), but was not a believer. And when he died, he was sent to hell where he was tormented and cried out for God to come rescue him(you might consider leaving that part of the story out for it is very painful). But the amazing part of this story is about Lazarus. Lazarus was completely covered in sores and lived in pain most of his life, but trusted in The Lord. So when the time came for him to die, he went to live with The Father in eternity. And in heaven Lazarus was free of all sores and the Bible says he was comforted and without pain. So, for your grandmother, I pray that she knows that God is with her, and then when it is her time, she will be with Him forever. And not only will she spend eternity with Him, she wont have any pain and will always be comforted. Also, I think revelation 21:4 wraps this up very nicely. But please know I am praying everyday for her and that she be free of all pains and anxieties. and also know that God can work miracles, even when times seem the darkest.

"Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You"

I know my grandmaw is in Heaven and is free of all the pain she was in, but I still miss her.I probably will always miss her. However, I labeled this post "Not So Far Away..." because I know missing her will not be something that will last for eternity. I may miss her the rest of my Earthly life, but I know that soon enough I will be with her again and there will be no memory of ever missing her. I love knowing that. I love God for allowing me to know that truth.

Thank you so much for reading!

2 John 1:3