Storms of Life

"The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."  Matthew 7:25

Hello everyone!!

Okay, I don't know if the weather has been really strange where you live, but here in Indiana it's been crazy.  In one day here we had rain, snow, sleet, sun, and the wind has been incredible.  I don't remember the wind blowing as hard as it has in the last couple of months. My decorations and chairs on my pergola have been thrown around tossed out to my backyard.  And if that wasn't bad enough, your hair doesn't stand a chance out there. 

This crazy weather got me thinking about how much it compares to this season of my life.  One of the worst storms I could ever imagine consumed me in a matter of seconds.  This storm ripped through every part of my life; leaving me leveled.  The winds of change whipped me to and fro.  This storm ravaged and had no regard for any of us.  One thing the storm did not do was destroy me. 

How you may ask?  One reason!!  My Rock, my Lord and Savior is right there next to me.  He made sure I kept my footing on that rock and He never let go!!

Jesus talked about this in Matthew 7:24:27 NIV.  "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had it's foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Jesus is saying that if your foundation is in Him; if you have FAITH AND TRUST in Him, then you will be able to stand against anything this world throws at you.  Storms will enter all of our lives, it's going to happen because we live in a fallen world.  How we endure our personal tsunamis is what we need to focus on.  Is your foundation with Jesus?  Or is your foundation this world we live in?  Do you look to others to give you shelter?  Or do you look to Jesus to give your shelter and comfort? 

Are you a person that built your foundation on the Rock?  Or are you a person that built your foundation on sand?  Storms will move in and wipe away sand and take it back into the water; but rocks stand firm and stay on land where they belong.  If you are a sand dweller, please look into your heart and pray.  Jesus will give you that firm foundation and WILL stand with you.  He loves you and wants to weather the storms of life with you.  No matter what has happened in your life, He will never leave you or forsake you.  You just have to put your trust in Him.  His grace is enough!!

Lord, thank you for being THE ROCK when storms wreck havoc on me.  I pray that those that do not have You as their rock will open up their hearts and accept You.  Without You, I would have been washed away along with the sand.  With You, I have endured and can stand on my foundation.  Thank you Lord Jesus!!  In Your Precious Name I pray...Amen!!

Memories

Memories...

We all have them.  Some of our memories are sweet and endearing, some are hard and traumatic.  There are times that I sit and reminisce; others sneak up from out of nowhere and leave me breathless.  Either way, they are memories that we all hold dear and have become a part of us.

While Emily was on spring break this week, we took a day trip with our good friends and my niece to St. Louis.  It's about a 3 1/2 hour trip from Indy to the Gateway to the West.  We enjoyed a great day at the City Museum, the zoo, and the Arch.  It was a beautiful, enjoyable day.  On our way home, Paula and I started talking about long road trips that we have done.  Seeing all the semis on the highway brought up a lot of memories of the trips Kirk and I went on during my time driving with him.  Once I starting talking, I kept remembering all the fun times he and I had on the road. 

We drove together for about three years off and on as a team.  We were owner/operators and owned a couple more semis that members of his family drove for us.  Kirk and I traveled all over the country.  I never got any farther west than Arizona; however we did go to Idaho once.  We did travel to the Carolinas and Pennsylvania but never farther east.  I've been to Laredo, El Paso, Ft. Dodge, New Orleans, Denver, Phoenix just to name a few cool spots.  We did travel through Roswell, New Mexico.  We ate at a truck stop that was decked out in everything alien.  Very cool but strange place.  I talked to Paula about seeing all these places and getting to see roadrunners.  Yes they really do exist; however no Wile E Coyote was out there with them. It was fun just to sit and talk about Kirk and our life while we got to travel. 

I will admit at the time I hated being away from home.  I hated packing up and leaving home to be gone for a week at a time.  The second that Kirk went to his Heavenly home, I cherished every second he and I spent together out on the road.  Every long and deep discussion we had I now hold dear to my heart.  There were no smart phones to interrupt or occupy our time together.  And believe it or not, we never fought even though we were confined to a small space.  The places I saw, the people I met, would have never happened had I not left my life behind here in Indy and went out with him on the open road.  I would have never seen the Rocky Mountains, the beautiful Arizona landscape, the green pastures of Idaho, the amazing sky in Wyoming, Wyatt Earp's Ft. Dodge, or Lake Pontchartrain.  I would have missed those three years with him; Kirk drove for many years and was gone quite a bit.  So many days we missed being together, so many moments we didn't get to share.  I hated to see him leave, and loved to hear those words, "I'm on my way home." 

In Philippians 1:3 NIV it says, "I thank my God every time I remember you."  I have this verse on our headstone that we share.  I do thank my God that He blessed me with Kirk.  I do thank my God for blessing me with these precious memories of him.  Not very many couples have worked together as team truck drivers and were able to stay married.  I got to go on so many adventures with Kirk and got to see so many neat places.  I feel so blessed to have shared that time of our life together. 

Do you have special memories of your beloved?  Do you sit and remember those stolen moments you shared?  Have you shared those memories with your family/friends/children?  If you haven't, please do so.  It's part of the healing process.  If you still feel it's too painful to travel down memory lane, that is fine.  You will get there.  As time goes on, you will feel more like sharing because those memories keep your loved ones alive in you.  You will always carry your husbands memories in your heart.  God blessed us with our husbands and He wants to see us rejoice.  God does see us in our grief, He knows our sorrow.  But he also knows that we will feel joy again.  In John 15:22 NIV we see, "So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." 

YES!!!  We have the promise that if we are saved we will not only get to see Jesus, we will also get to see our husbands that have gone Home before us.  Jesus hears our cries and He promises us that we will rejoice again.  Isn't that amazing?!!! 

For right now, sharing memories and remembering the life we shared with our husbands is a true blessing.  I have found that I love to talk about Kirk and the life we shared together.  Emily likes to hear about stories of our life before she added ten fold to our world.  As time has marched on, I have found it easier to share.  Coming out of my widow fog has made it easier to remember and share.  Will you bless someone by sharing your stories? 

Lord, thank You for blessing me with a life rich in love and memories.  I pray that as time goes on and more memories emerge I will find it easy to share.  I want to bless Emily and my family and friends with wonderful memories of Kirk's life.  I pray that others can start to find it easier to share their stories too.  It will mean so much for so many others.  Lord thank You for Kirk; without him I would not have been blessed with Emily.  In Your Precious Name..Amen!!