How Was Memorial Day?

old town cemetery 11.26.08 - 31
Originally uploaded by laura padgett

     How'd Memorial weekend go for you? Sweet? Fun? Hard? Glad it's over?
     It was a mixture of old wounds and fresh perspective for me. My husband went to Indy 500 so I drove to the opposite corner of Ohio to visit two of my kids. I stayed with my daughter and her husband, and also got to see my son and his girlfriend, and we all tried to get hold of my daughter in Seattle, but only got her voicemail.
     On Sunday I took everyone out to lunch, on Sunday night I went to a picnic and saw old friends from the first church my first husband pastored, and also the pastor who performed both my first husband's funeral and my second marriage. As I list all these activities I just now realize how loaded they were! On top of it all I read most of the book "90 Minutes In Heaven," which really got me longing for heaven, and during the drive I listened to a book on CD, "The Wedding," by Nicolas Sparks--sentimental and powerful as are all of Sparks stories.
     On top of all that, I was praying for all my new friends who are widowed and facing many of the difficult peaks and valleys of their first year. I could have been quite overwhelmed!
     There's a tune, though, that the Holy Spirit was praying to God, and playing to my heart. It's main phrase was "Remember your people, remember your promise . . . Your grace is enough . . ." There are many more good words to it but those were the ones I remembered most.
     God reinforced them in my heart today as I read scripture and was reminded that "God devises ways so that we may not remain estranged from him." (II Samuel 14: 14) and that God will not forget His children. (Isaiah 49:15-18). His words are precious light and life for me. They give me strength, carry me when I'm not moving, and make me thankful that God is Who He is: He's in control, He's love, He's goodness, He's mercy. I like saying that in a drawn out way: He IS in control . . . He is LOVE . . . HE is goodness, He IS mercy. And He is so much more, like Truth, and Life and Power . . . Each word is true, each emphasis is true no matter how you mix it up.
     All that gave me a fresh perspective. Although I shed some tears at the cemetery yesterday, God's grace was more than enough, because He remembers, too.
     He remembers you, too. He's in control of your life, He loves you, He has mercy and goodness in His plan for you. His grace is enough. I pray God will work these truths into your heart today. Let me know if I can pray about anything for you.
♥ ferree