My pastor was telling us the story of a friend of his who was bed ridden, near death, who, with all of his strength whispered the words, "Jesus is trustworthy" in his ear.
Of course, Jesus is trustworthy, but why at such a time would you say something like that? It is so cliche to think that we as Christians can have our doubts when times are going bad but other people who doubt God are marked as unworthy of His Grace in our heads. I go back to the story that my pastor told me of his friend, who is now in Heaven. I wish I could have met him, to tell him how much that little sentence would prove power to me in the coming week.
Last Sunday, as I was finishing up my typical Sunday post-church things (trash, voice lesson, etc.) my mom was on the phone, and she didn't look good. She was crying. I asked her what was wrong.
It turns out that my cousin Gary, only 26 years old, had fallen down the stairs and died. Just like that.
How do you respond when something like that happens? Cry? Scream? Yell? Curse God?
In that moment, I went upstairs to my room. I closed the door and started crying. I cried so hard. He was too young. I immediatley, through sobs, began praying. Or trying to pray. I kept remembering the phrase "Jesus is trustworthy", and that was the phrase that kept racing through my mind whenever I tried to search for peace. I was a wreck, and I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he was gone. I had just seen him in January and his birthday was on the coming Friday (Feb. 13th). I was so not with it. My entire family found out within the hour and made it to be with my aunt within the next hour or so, even my uncle out of state made it the day later.
The week went by painfully slow. When Thursday finally came, I couldn't even go to school. Thursday was the day of his calling hours and Friday was the day of his funeral. When we got to the funeral home and I finally saw his body, it finally hit me that he was GONE.
The four hours we spent there were incredibly wonderful in different ways. I was able to see family I hadn't seen in a while, be with my cousins and my aunts and uncles, etc. We all shared stories and it was an awesome evening of love. Towards the end of the calling hours, my uncle prayed over all of us. After he prayed, the floor was open for others to pray.
Do you ever get this feeling, whether its God, adrenaline, anxiety or your gut telling you that you should do something? Well, that happened to me. I got up and I prayed for my family. To be honest, I was so shaken with the fact I was praying for my entire family/at my cousin's funeral/anxious with everything else in my life/etc. I couldn't tell you what I said. But I'm really glad that I prayed. It gave me an opportunity to tell everyone that "Jesus is trustworthy" even if I didn't directly say it. It helped reconfirm it in my heart as well. It was, as I keep describing to everyone, an out of body experience that I don't think I will ever have again but it was an amazing spiritual experience despite the circumstances. It then brought me to tears and I was crying insane amounts of tears (like, panic attack level tears) and I don't think I've ever let myself cry that hard in public and my two cousins came and sat with me. I went up with my aunt and uncle and two cousins to say "goodbye" to Gary and left the funeral home that evening an emotional wreck. If any of you have dealt with anxiety and have had borderline insane level panic attacks, then you might know what I'm talking about.
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."- Psalm 147:3
"Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me,"- Psalm 54:4
"God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing! You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel SECURE. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back HOME IN the house of God
for the rest of my life."- Psalm 23 (The MSG)
These verses remind me that Jesus is trustworthy. In the midst of all of this craziness, they remind me of God's ultimate peace. Although I might be grieving and not with it at all emotionally/mentally/etc. God has provided for my family through this in ways I'd never imagine. My dad, who under contract cannot under any circumstances take a day off work unless it's pre-arranged, was able to get someone to run his route the day of the funeral which was a blessing. My mom's work sent home food, cards, etc. and people from my church have been texting me throughout the week and reminding me to stay strong and keep my head up. My friends have been here for me and texting me/facetiming/etc. and it's just been wonderful. And if I need to be by myself, they know when to give me my space as well.
Jesus is trustworthy. He died on the Cross for us so we could have life up with Him in Heaven. My cousin Gary is up in Heaven because of Jesus's sacrafice. Although we all have sinned, are sinning and will sin, Jesus took all of that sin and died for us all. It brings me great peace knowing that I'm (and we) are all covered if we trust in God and accept His Plan for our life.
And that is a real life example of the Gospel. God created us to be with Him. Our sins seperate us from Him. Sin cannot be removed by good deads, so paying the price for sin Jesus died and rose again. Everyone has a chance at eternal life and life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever!! (Dare 2 Share)
I'm not going to lie, some days are harder than others. I get sad but I reconfirm my sadness with the Word of God and the fact that Jesus is trustworthy.
"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life— is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:31-39
Of course, Jesus is trustworthy, but why at such a time would you say something like that? It is so cliche to think that we as Christians can have our doubts when times are going bad but other people who doubt God are marked as unworthy of His Grace in our heads. I go back to the story that my pastor told me of his friend, who is now in Heaven. I wish I could have met him, to tell him how much that little sentence would prove power to me in the coming week.
Last Sunday, as I was finishing up my typical Sunday post-church things (trash, voice lesson, etc.) my mom was on the phone, and she didn't look good. She was crying. I asked her what was wrong.
It turns out that my cousin Gary, only 26 years old, had fallen down the stairs and died. Just like that.
How do you respond when something like that happens? Cry? Scream? Yell? Curse God?
In that moment, I went upstairs to my room. I closed the door and started crying. I cried so hard. He was too young. I immediatley, through sobs, began praying. Or trying to pray. I kept remembering the phrase "Jesus is trustworthy", and that was the phrase that kept racing through my mind whenever I tried to search for peace. I was a wreck, and I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he was gone. I had just seen him in January and his birthday was on the coming Friday (Feb. 13th). I was so not with it. My entire family found out within the hour and made it to be with my aunt within the next hour or so, even my uncle out of state made it the day later.
The week went by painfully slow. When Thursday finally came, I couldn't even go to school. Thursday was the day of his calling hours and Friday was the day of his funeral. When we got to the funeral home and I finally saw his body, it finally hit me that he was GONE.
The four hours we spent there were incredibly wonderful in different ways. I was able to see family I hadn't seen in a while, be with my cousins and my aunts and uncles, etc. We all shared stories and it was an awesome evening of love. Towards the end of the calling hours, my uncle prayed over all of us. After he prayed, the floor was open for others to pray.
Do you ever get this feeling, whether its God, adrenaline, anxiety or your gut telling you that you should do something? Well, that happened to me. I got up and I prayed for my family. To be honest, I was so shaken with the fact I was praying for my entire family/at my cousin's funeral/anxious with everything else in my life/etc. I couldn't tell you what I said. But I'm really glad that I prayed. It gave me an opportunity to tell everyone that "Jesus is trustworthy" even if I didn't directly say it. It helped reconfirm it in my heart as well. It was, as I keep describing to everyone, an out of body experience that I don't think I will ever have again but it was an amazing spiritual experience despite the circumstances. It then brought me to tears and I was crying insane amounts of tears (like, panic attack level tears) and I don't think I've ever let myself cry that hard in public and my two cousins came and sat with me. I went up with my aunt and uncle and two cousins to say "goodbye" to Gary and left the funeral home that evening an emotional wreck. If any of you have dealt with anxiety and have had borderline insane level panic attacks, then you might know what I'm talking about.
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."- Psalm 147:3
"Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me,"- Psalm 54:4
"God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing! You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel SECURE. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back HOME IN the house of God
for the rest of my life."- Psalm 23 (The MSG)
These verses remind me that Jesus is trustworthy. In the midst of all of this craziness, they remind me of God's ultimate peace. Although I might be grieving and not with it at all emotionally/mentally/etc. God has provided for my family through this in ways I'd never imagine. My dad, who under contract cannot under any circumstances take a day off work unless it's pre-arranged, was able to get someone to run his route the day of the funeral which was a blessing. My mom's work sent home food, cards, etc. and people from my church have been texting me throughout the week and reminding me to stay strong and keep my head up. My friends have been here for me and texting me/facetiming/etc. and it's just been wonderful. And if I need to be by myself, they know when to give me my space as well.
Jesus is trustworthy. He died on the Cross for us so we could have life up with Him in Heaven. My cousin Gary is up in Heaven because of Jesus's sacrafice. Although we all have sinned, are sinning and will sin, Jesus took all of that sin and died for us all. It brings me great peace knowing that I'm (and we) are all covered if we trust in God and accept His Plan for our life.
And that is a real life example of the Gospel. God created us to be with Him. Our sins seperate us from Him. Sin cannot be removed by good deads, so paying the price for sin Jesus died and rose again. Everyone has a chance at eternal life and life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever!! (Dare 2 Share)
I'm not going to lie, some days are harder than others. I get sad but I reconfirm my sadness with the Word of God and the fact that Jesus is trustworthy.
"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life— is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:31-39
My amazing cousin Gary. Love you. Enjoy Heaven cousin!