Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Reflections

It seems to me that over the past year my family and I have been at funeral homes very often, we have been first hand witnesses to sorrow and grief. However through all of this the Lord has been gracious, very gracious, abounding in love and mercy.
Grieving over a loss of a family member is hard, I feel as though I have experienced every emotion possible, expect anger. I am not angry that they have been taken. I am sad that they are gone, I feel the empty space that is left because they are gone, but no anger. How can I be angry, the Lord allowed them to live and touch my life and he ultimately received glory in their deaths.
This past weekend when I was home my Cousin Deborah Anne Stewart passed away. She was a kindhearted, sweet-spirited, dear person, and a Believer. She was such a strong person, for her entire life she fought to live, at 18 she received a life saving kidney transplant, 10 years ago that kidney started failing, 5 years ago she had a mastectomy, and since then has been on dialysis. Never once did I ever hear her complain, she loved the Lord, trusted the Lord, prayed for her husband to be saved, honored him, and the Lord saved him. She truly was a testimony of the Greatness of the Lord, and God was truly glorified through her life.
So with that all I can say is, "Great is the Lord and Greatly to be Praised"
1 Chronicles 16 : 23-27
23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and he is to be held in awe above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.

Hannah