This passage in James 1:3-4 scares me: “.. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” (New Living Translation) It’s this word: anything that scares me. It just does.
It feels wrong, maybe shameful to admit this. I know it sounds like doubt.
But in the midst of this fear, my heart and soul cries out to God: “I believe!! Help Thou my unbelief!!”
Aren’t those similar to the words I cried out several years ago: “I am powerless to sustain even my own faith- I need YOU Lord to pour faith into my heart and sustain me!”
So this word: anything.
It’s the realization that life will bring more pain. There is no bargaining with God. It’s not true that since He has Tirzah I am now entitled to a smooth road. Even though I feel like I want it to be true: “God, since you have Tirzah, now I get a healthy baby next and no more deaths. And I get to keep Jeremiah and Ryan.”
But the truth is: I don’t know God’s plan… And. Even. If. He calls Jeremiah away. He is still good.
Is this what it means to hold life with an open hand? To hold my most precious loved ones loosely. They *are* the Lord’s.
And what can I do but fall on my face before the Lord and worship?
Now more than ever I have a sense of the majesty of God.
This majesty calls forth the *Highest* praise.
“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; *blessed* be the name of the LORD.” ~ Job 1:21
And I say with this ancient man: “ … I, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,… and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:34-35)
I lay my hand over my mouth- and fall on my face.
*This* is Holy Ground. This place of grief. This moment when Tirzah was called away. This Holy Moment.
I
delight of my life 
Catherine, I have not responded to this entry because I do not know how to respond. Except to say that you are expressing fears that we all have of losing loved ones. The only thing that I know is fear is not of God and He casts it out. “Do not fear” and “do not be afraid” are phrases we frequently read in the Bible because we need to be reminded over and over again. You need to be reminded and I need to be reminded. God is love and perfect love casts out fear. Love, mom
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