This guest post is from a member of a family that is very near and dear to my heart. Meg began the blog Showers of Grace after losing her husband, a Major in the Air Force, this past fall due to an accident at work. She was left with her 1-year-old and 2-year-old at the time. Her faith in the midst of such terrible tragedy has been life-changing for me and my family to watch. Please pray for her (and her little boys) or send an encouraging comment her way on her blog, if you feel led.
All of a sudden, you lose your job, you get deployment orders, you go into labor, you say “I do”, you get that dreaded call, you leave your home to move to a new place, you meet the man of your dreams, your doctor delivers terrible news, you file for bankruptcy, you realize your spouse is not who you thought you married, you lose someone you love. Most of us have experienced an extreme shift in life and we know that, all of a sudden, life changes; sometimes for the better, and unfortunately, sometimes for the worse.
Life is made up of moments; mostly predictable moments. But then, that dreaded all of a sudden can come knocking on your door when you least expect it. When you just want life to continue as it has been. You experience these game-changing moments and you can’t get around it. Life will bump you into some detour when you aren’t prepared. We can plan all we want. We can put our ducks in a row, cross our fingers, and hope for the best. But one day, all of a sudden, life will change.
For me, my terrible all of a sudden happened like this. And all of a sudden, my husband wasn’t on his way home from work. He wasn’t stopping to pick up that Thai take-out we planned for dinner. He wasn’t there to go to bed with me. I did not hear that all familiar high-pitched whirring of his espresso machine that next morning. No kisses or hugs to send Daddy on his way to work. Without warning, all of a sudden, he was gone. Our family of four was so instantly turned to three. How could he be taken so quickly, so without warning? Utter devastation replaced those happy, predictable moments. No, I didn’t want this all of a sudden coming into my house. But there it stood. As much as I tried to push it away, there was nothing I could do to move it. No amount of tears, prayers, or fighting can make this unavoidable reality go away.
When we find ourselves face-to-face with these all of a sudden moments, how do we get through it? How do we survive these plummeting waves of life? How can we face another day?
I look to an omnipotent God; One who can break down any and every wall we are up against.
I look to a loving God; One whose love has no bounds, we cannot grasp the height, depth, or width of His great love.
I look to an all-knowing God; One who sees the past, present, and future; who knows all things.
I look to a steadfast God; One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I look to a providing God; One who promises to give us exactly what we need; who has gifted us with His Word.
And in His Word, we can see, all of a sudden:
God made a promise, perfection arrived in a tiny bundle in Bethlehem, water was turned to wine, blind eyes were opened, the lame walked, diseases were removed, five thousand bellies were miraculously filled, a man walked on water, True Love died for us, hopelessness was transformed, sins were removed, salvation was declared on Calvary, the tomb was rolled away, and grace was freely offered.
I don’t know about you, but I want to be a part of this story. I know that same power that is revealed throughout the Gospel is available to us today. His all of a suddens can easily triumph over ours. The bumps and detours of life don’t hold a candle to His mighty power.
Many people have told me I am facing one of their worst nightmares. But I can assure you, this nightmare is in the hands of an all-powerful and loving God. I know that I can stand (or lay when I need to) upon the solid rock of Christ. He does not waver. I can place my circumstance into His more than capable hands. The same hands that split seas and formed the heavens and the earth, can easily hold me, hold you, and transform our terrible all of a suddens into beautiful stories of redemption.
When you face a terrible all of a sudden in your life, I hope you find comfort in these verses, as I have:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called. Romans 8:28
If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Romans 8:31
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39
If your kids are coming or you are volunteering at Kids Club this year, you have some very important homework! So, maybe it’s not as important as reading the Parent and Volunteer Devotional to prepare your hearts for the week. But, this homework should be pretty high up on your Kids Club priority list, ok?
