Back on Easter Sunday, our pastor taught on how God's plans are better than our own, and his wife, my friend Krista, shared her personal story of walking through infertility and trusting God through the adoption process. She was kind enough to write out her remarks, and you can read them here.
The parts of her story that grabbed my attention were (1) how her Sunday school teacher challenged her class with how their view of God might change if they didn't get married or have children and (2) how Krista later responded by writing out Psalm 136 in her own way as a reminder of God's enduring love for her, no matter her circumstances.
I took the challenge to do the same.
If I never get married,
His love endures forever.
If I never have children,
His love endures forever.
If I never adopt another dog,
His love endures forever.
If my mother dies during my lifetime,
His love endures forever.
If my sister dies during my lifetime,
His love endures forever.
If I get cancer,
His love endures forever.
If I get a crippling disease,
His love endures forever.
If I suffer pain daily,
His love endures forever.
If I lose my job and benefits,
His love endures forever.
If I lose my house and belongings,
His love endures forever.
If I become poor financially,
His love endures forever.
If I am ridiculed and mistreated,
His love endures forever.
If my reputation is trashed,
His love endures forever.
If I have no friends,
His love endures forever.
If I can’t deliver on my promises,
His love endures forever.
If a crime is perpetrated against me or my family,
His love endures forever.
If the world around me is chaos,
His love endures forever.
And even if I don’t feel His love,
His love endures forever.
The parts of her story that grabbed my attention were (1) how her Sunday school teacher challenged her class with how their view of God might change if they didn't get married or have children and (2) how Krista later responded by writing out Psalm 136 in her own way as a reminder of God's enduring love for her, no matter her circumstances.
I took the challenge to do the same.
If I never get married,
His love endures forever.
If I never have children,
His love endures forever.
If I never adopt another dog,
His love endures forever.
If my mother dies during my lifetime,
His love endures forever.
If my sister dies during my lifetime,
His love endures forever.
If I get cancer,
His love endures forever.
If I get a crippling disease,
His love endures forever.
If I suffer pain daily,
His love endures forever.
If I lose my job and benefits,
His love endures forever.
If I lose my house and belongings,
His love endures forever.
If I become poor financially,
His love endures forever.
If I am ridiculed and mistreated,
His love endures forever.
If my reputation is trashed,
His love endures forever.
If I have no friends,
His love endures forever.
If I can’t deliver on my promises,
His love endures forever.
If a crime is perpetrated against me or my family,
His love endures forever.
If the world around me is chaos,
His love endures forever.
And even if I don’t feel His love,
His love endures forever.
To be honest, I need to repeat those lines every day for my heart to get in sync with them because I'm not all the way there yet. I'm kind of like the father in Mark 9:24 who says, "Lord I believe; help my unbelief."
I'm glad I wrote these out and challenge you to do the same.
2 comments:
I read this slowly and was challenged immensely. I'm going to chew on this, and perhaps undertake the same. I'm not there yet, either. Did you hear the interview with the firefighter whose son was swept away from the home in the tornado? His wife was saying her morning devotional when it hit, and when she learned he was gone began to pray louder. At that moment, their boy walked in and said he had been lifted into the sky and then drifted back down. He was 8.
The firefighter, a man named Reginald Epps, was calm, and his voice had a happy lilt to it. He said that even if they had lost their boy, their faith would not have been shaken.
THAT is the kind of faith I want.
Your psalm wrenches my heart. I haven’t gone that far, Alyssa. Wow. I need to update mine for 2011. You bless me in so many ways-- your faith, the first.
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