Necessary Endings Precipitate Beautiful Beginnings

I really can't take all the credit for that insightful title, although I did "spruce" it up a bit.  This comes from the title of one of Henry Cloud's newest books, Necessary Endings.  I heard him recently at a Women of Faith event and the phrase has been rolling around in my head ever since. 

It came back to me this morning as I was struggling with myself over whether or not to give my two- year- old his paci back .  You see, we had gotten him off of it earlier in the year but with the anticipation of the move he had begun to have terrible night terrors and our ped's doc scolded me after asking if he had anything else to comfort himself with and said, "[since he doesn't have any other security blanket] give him back his paci!  And don't take it away until you are good and settled in your new place."  With that, we gave him it back and the night terrors stopped.  {I was felt happy to be able to "comfort" my child.}

I'm struggling with this thought again this afternoon as I desperately want a Mt. Dew {I can feel the "calming" effects it gives me now=} and I keep telling myself "tomorrow"  i can "go off" of it. You see, I had also been off of that myself for months, and enjoyed the freedom from headaches that caffeine and major sugar buzzes actually give a person, but when the stresses of life had begun to add up -- I caved in and began "drinking" again.  {It really is an addiction-- and I felt happy to be able to "comfort" myself.}

And then, during our post lunch quiet time {start of a routine} today, as I'm reading through Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship, this thought was once again brought to mind as he says, "The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world.  It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death...Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ.  When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." (p. 79, 2nd ed., 1960)

Hmmm...a necessary ending of me in exchange for the beautiful beginning of what Christ wants for me to be.  This sounds inspiring...but in reality it is painful.  Really painful.  And I'll want to give up.  And so will you.  {Because this won't always make me feel happy and comforted.}  But that's what true discipleship, truly following and seeking after the Lord, is .  It is not cheap-- but costly.  It cost Christ everything and, as a student is not above his master, so shall it cost us everything if we are truly His disciple.

I will be posting on this book regularly in the coming weeks.  Please join me in reading the book if you have never done so.  If you have, a refresher never hurt! lol.  Tomorrow I hope to post a little bio about this man who will be given the highest honor in heaven {as told us in Revelation} for he was a martyr.

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An Awesome Example

I wanted to blog about a family that has been an incredible example to me of suffering a trial so unimaginable and yet leaning upon God in even their very difficult trial: meet Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth.  Yeah, yeah, I know you "know" them (just like I "know" them-- they're on my "people most wanted to meet in life before I pass" list=).  If you are not familiar with them, let me just give a small bio on them:  They met and fell in love in high school. (I've seen pics-- trust me as I say they are a great looking couple NOW, but even though very famous currently, they still have awful high school pics just like we all do!)  He went on to become this famous singer and have an amazingly beautiful wonderful family.  After they were "done" having their own biological children, through a maze of detail which only God can orchestrate, they began adopting and ended up with three beautiful adopted children from China.  They began an amazing organization (am I saying "amazing" too much?  Really, I can't say that enough in this case.) called Show Hope which helps in all avenues related to orphan care and adoption.  Together, SCC and Mary Beth had six children and were making and incredible impact on the entire world for Christ and growing His kingdom through helping to raise awareness of the desperate need for people to open their hearts to Christ -- AND to orphan care.  (All this with a minor "side" of being an highly sought-after and world-wide Christian music artist-- well, anyway, in my very humble opinion the music was just a "side" for a greater work.)

(This picture taken from the People magazine article http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20201819,00.html)

On May 21, 2008 the most unthinkable thing happened: a tragic accident took the life of their youngest girl Maria Sue.  Even writing this stops my breath and I can not even begin to imagine what that must have been like, and continues to be like day in and day out. Last fall my husband and I had the awesome privilege of seeing SCC and his wife in concert-- WOW, what realness, what vulnerability, what incredible FAITH!!!!  Though they have been struck by incredible sadness and tragedy, they have chosen to let God take it and do a work in them and they continue to walk this road the Lord has chosen for them and glorify God through it all. 

I walked away blessed by some music for sure-- but the greater work remains turning over and over and over again in my mind as just about not a week goes by when I ask myself: Do I have that kind of faith?  Faith that says "You are God.  You can be trusted NO MATTER WHAT You bring into my life."  What would I really do, what would I really say about God, should He choose to bring tragedy of this scale into MY life?  I mean, really, right now it's about all I can do to trust that He'll provide the money we need for our monthly bills!  No, instead SCC and Mary Beth have chosen to say "You are faithful." and even  "You are GOOD."  May God grant the Chapman family blessings upon blessings for being in the place like Job and choosing to remain faithful to Him when it would have been so easy to just turn their faces...

If you have any resources to purchase SCCs album released after the death of Maria Sue, PLEASE DO SO!  You will be so blessed when the trials of your own life can be viewed through the music that rests upon the Truth of Scripture and that gives us the ONLY True perspective that God is God and He remains in control of our lives and what He does in us is GOOD, all. the. time.  Below, you will find a few of the lyrics from two of the songs on the CD "Beauty Will Rise" (From Title Track "Beauty Will Rise" and "You are Faithful".

Out of these ashes... beauty will rise
and we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of these ashes... beauty will rise
For we know, joy is coming in the morning...
in the morning, beauty will rise

Though I cannot have the answer
that I'm wanting to demand,
I'll remember You are God
and everything is in Your hand.
In Your hands you hold the sun, the moon,
the stars up in the sky,
for the sake of Love, You hung Your own Son
on the cross...to die...

You are faithful!
When you give and when You take away,
even then still Your name
is faithful!
You are faithful!
And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe You're faithful.

So faithful...

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God's Design for Suffering

If you listen even a little to Christian radio, you are sure to have already heard the incredibly powerful latest release by Laura Story, “Blessings”.  I mustn’t continue with my thoughts until you read through a few lines of this wonderfully – timed song containing so much Truth.

We pray for blessings, We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plead
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us, When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
One cannot escape from reading these words or listening to this precious truth-revealing song without pondering much on what GOD desires to make of our suffering (i.e. waiting).  It is clear that God designed us for living in a perfect world and it is not HIS desire that we wait for His return in suffering, but it is what SIN has done to this world.  Praise God He IS returning to set all things right and to redeem us unto Himself!...one. day. soon.

Hebrews 13:14 grounds us in this Truth saying, “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.” 

Therefore…

Verse 15, “Through Him, then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” (NASB)

In my next post I’m going to talk about an amazing family who has shown the world that through their terrible sufferings and waiting, they can still rest in the arms of the One Who loves them and Who will one. day. soon. bring them unto Himself to comfort them for eternity.

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