How many times have you been so lost, all you wanted was a visible sign to show
you the way? Something tangible. Something you can see or hear. Something to
give you the reassurance you so desperately need that you are in the right place
and doing all the right things. Sometimes, don't you just want a neon-colored
billboard-sized sign that you can't possibly miss?
Living with loss is hard. It's probably the most difficult life-change you will ever have
to go through. Besides the grief of a family member's absence, you may experience
even tougher life-problems because of their absence. Maybe you've lost income, or
are faced with either returning to the work force or getting a second (or even third)
job in order to make ends meet. Maybe your circumstances have forced you to find
a new place to live or to travel to a different state in order to be closer to other family
members. Add children to this mixture and your problems can be multiplied ten-fold.
Who will take care of them while you work, or how can you help them adjust to their
loss when you are still struggling with your own?
There may be a lot of different problems, depending on your specific circumstances.
As a result, there are a lot of changes going on in your life, as well as a lot of
choices to make. Big choices. To top it off, right now, everything is intense. Your
trials are intense, your grief, despair and hopelessness may be intense, and your
future seems so uncertain and unclear. There are big decisions to make and huge
doubt looming over each one of them. Probably the biggest question is, can you
really do this? The answer is simple: Yes, you can. All you need is a sign, for
reassurance.
The first sign is a very visible, much-bigger-than-billboard-sized sign: The sun rose
this morning. You are still alive, still able to see the sunlight, and still able to
recognize that a new day has dawned ~ for YOU! It may seem like such a simple
thing, but there is a depth of understanding to be gained in that simple sign. If you
weren't doing the right things, and if God wanted you to stop, you wouldn't see that
sunrise. Your days would be finished. But, the sun did come up this morning. You
are still living! Some days, that's an astronomical feat, but that's your first step. This
is a day without your loved one, but it is a day meant for YOU, and the first sign that
God does still have wonderful things ahead for you. If you accomplish nothing other
than seeing one more sunrise, you are doing the right thing!
The second sign is also a very visible one. You will know it when it happens, but
you may not be aware of it unless you are really looking for it: The sun will set
this evening. This is a sign that what you did today is okay, and this day is now
completed. Whether you did the right things today or the wrong things is not
relevant at sunset. It just means that today is finished, the evening lies ahead for
you to rest, and God will give you another sunrise in the morning; a fresh new day to
take a few more steps towards your future, or to make a fresh new start if you
weren't satisfied with this one.
Taking those two signs, one at a time, day by day, puts you on the right road and in
the right frame of mind to tackle whatever problems life is throwing at you. It's
amazing what a difference one day can make, especially when you just take them
only one at a time.
Because the sun rose, you were given a new dawn and a new day, a gift from God.
Because the sun set, you were given a chance for renewal; a time for rest; also a
gift from God. But He gave you an even greater gift than these!
God never intended for you to go through your days alone, nor to struggle with
these impossible life-choices alone. Because His Son rose, you were given a new
life, guaranteed never to end ~ Eternal Life. No greater gift has ever been given. No
greater gift has ever been received!
Now, no one ever said that being a Christian or having the promise of Eternal Life
means problem-free-living! Nowhere is it written that a Christian doesn't have
problems or doesn't have to go through life-changing trials. But a Christian never
has to go through them ALONE. The Lord said, "I am with you always!" If you've
made the choice to follow Jesus and to allow Him to be your personal savior and
fully trust in Him, you've already made the Greatest Choice of your life.* Everything
else is secondary, and once you've made that choice, He will be your guide through
EVERYTHING else you go through!
As a Christian, Jesus walks with you every moment of every day and He will give
you the strength to withstand your trials and the wisdom to make the right
life-choices even in your most difficult circumstances. His strength alone can guide
you through those excruciating choices, and if you fully trust in Him, allowing Him to
be your guide, you WILL make the right choices, even during the most difficult days
of your life.
These simple signs aren't neon-colored roadside billboards, but they loom large
enough to see, powerful enough to feel, and yet small enough to hold them closely
within the confines of your heart. Let them encourage you, one day at a time, one
step at a time.
Take the time to watch the dawn as it approaches, allowing the rising of the sun to
refresh your spirit and fill you with His presence. Become aware of each dawn as
you meet Him early in the morning and get ready to walk with Him through each new
day. Take the time to watch the sunset, knowing He has been with you throughout
this day and He will stay with you and renew your spirit as you rest.
Walking and talking with the Lord, you will find comfort and the peace you need to
make those difficult life-choices you are facing. You will find His peace, which
surpasses all human understanding. Don't be surprised when you find Joy again, for
it's just beyond the dawn.
*For those who may be visiting here who have not experienced the joy and peace of
accepting Jesus into your heart, please take a moment and visit "Key to Heaven".
The words there were written just for YOU because I care about you and want you
to be able to find that same comfort and peace that I (and so many others!) have
found through Jesus Christ.
May God truly bless you and bring you Peace. ~ Ferna
you the way? Something tangible. Something you can see or hear. Something to
give you the reassurance you so desperately need that you are in the right place
and doing all the right things. Sometimes, don't you just want a neon-colored
billboard-sized sign that you can't possibly miss?
Living with loss is hard. It's probably the most difficult life-change you will ever have
to go through. Besides the grief of a family member's absence, you may experience
even tougher life-problems because of their absence. Maybe you've lost income, or
are faced with either returning to the work force or getting a second (or even third)
job in order to make ends meet. Maybe your circumstances have forced you to find
a new place to live or to travel to a different state in order to be closer to other family
members. Add children to this mixture and your problems can be multiplied ten-fold.
Who will take care of them while you work, or how can you help them adjust to their
loss when you are still struggling with your own?
There may be a lot of different problems, depending on your specific circumstances.
As a result, there are a lot of changes going on in your life, as well as a lot of
choices to make. Big choices. To top it off, right now, everything is intense. Your
trials are intense, your grief, despair and hopelessness may be intense, and your
future seems so uncertain and unclear. There are big decisions to make and huge
doubt looming over each one of them. Probably the biggest question is, can you
really do this? The answer is simple: Yes, you can. All you need is a sign, for
reassurance.
The first sign is a very visible, much-bigger-than-billboard-sized sign: The sun rose
this morning. You are still alive, still able to see the sunlight, and still able to
recognize that a new day has dawned ~ for YOU! It may seem like such a simple
thing, but there is a depth of understanding to be gained in that simple sign. If you
weren't doing the right things, and if God wanted you to stop, you wouldn't see that
sunrise. Your days would be finished. But, the sun did come up this morning. You
are still living! Some days, that's an astronomical feat, but that's your first step. This
is a day without your loved one, but it is a day meant for YOU, and the first sign that
God does still have wonderful things ahead for you. If you accomplish nothing other
than seeing one more sunrise, you are doing the right thing!
The second sign is also a very visible one. You will know it when it happens, but
you may not be aware of it unless you are really looking for it: The sun will set
this evening. This is a sign that what you did today is okay, and this day is now
completed. Whether you did the right things today or the wrong things is not
relevant at sunset. It just means that today is finished, the evening lies ahead for
you to rest, and God will give you another sunrise in the morning; a fresh new day to
take a few more steps towards your future, or to make a fresh new start if you
weren't satisfied with this one.
Taking those two signs, one at a time, day by day, puts you on the right road and in
the right frame of mind to tackle whatever problems life is throwing at you. It's
amazing what a difference one day can make, especially when you just take them
only one at a time.
Because the sun rose, you were given a new dawn and a new day, a gift from God.
Because the sun set, you were given a chance for renewal; a time for rest; also a
gift from God. But He gave you an even greater gift than these!
God never intended for you to go through your days alone, nor to struggle with
these impossible life-choices alone. Because His Son rose, you were given a new
life, guaranteed never to end ~ Eternal Life. No greater gift has ever been given. No
greater gift has ever been received!
Now, no one ever said that being a Christian or having the promise of Eternal Life
means problem-free-living! Nowhere is it written that a Christian doesn't have
problems or doesn't have to go through life-changing trials. But a Christian never
has to go through them ALONE. The Lord said, "I am with you always!" If you've
made the choice to follow Jesus and to allow Him to be your personal savior and
fully trust in Him, you've already made the Greatest Choice of your life.* Everything
else is secondary, and once you've made that choice, He will be your guide through
EVERYTHING else you go through!
As a Christian, Jesus walks with you every moment of every day and He will give
you the strength to withstand your trials and the wisdom to make the right
life-choices even in your most difficult circumstances. His strength alone can guide
you through those excruciating choices, and if you fully trust in Him, allowing Him to
be your guide, you WILL make the right choices, even during the most difficult days
of your life.
These simple signs aren't neon-colored roadside billboards, but they loom large
enough to see, powerful enough to feel, and yet small enough to hold them closely
within the confines of your heart. Let them encourage you, one day at a time, one
step at a time.
Take the time to watch the dawn as it approaches, allowing the rising of the sun to
refresh your spirit and fill you with His presence. Become aware of each dawn as
you meet Him early in the morning and get ready to walk with Him through each new
day. Take the time to watch the sunset, knowing He has been with you throughout
this day and He will stay with you and renew your spirit as you rest.
Walking and talking with the Lord, you will find comfort and the peace you need to
make those difficult life-choices you are facing. You will find His peace, which
surpasses all human understanding. Don't be surprised when you find Joy again, for
it's just beyond the dawn.
*For those who may be visiting here who have not experienced the joy and peace of
accepting Jesus into your heart, please take a moment and visit "Key to Heaven".
The words there were written just for YOU because I care about you and want you
to be able to find that same comfort and peace that I (and so many others!) have
found through Jesus Christ.
May God truly bless you and bring you Peace. ~ Ferna
| Give Me a Sign, Lord! © Ferna Lary Mills |
| A Christian Grief Ministry |
Life After Loss |