Sep 17, 2010

A Struggling Life. A Loss of Another.

Life is so short. Life is incredibly precious.

Yesterday morning, a friend from high school lost his life. Today, a baby boy is trying to hold on to his. What do we make of this? Even though I am not closely tied to either of these beautiful souls, my heart goes out to their families.

Orrin Coates. A friend of many from high school, a best friend today, a brother, an uncle, a son. Orrin brought life to those he spent time with, this I do remember even though it's been a few years. He knew what his plans were, and he was full of joy because of that. Orrin, life took him too soon.

Baby Bowen. He was born with a heart that was under developed. He has a Mommy and Daddy that love him so much. Two big sisters that can't wait to play with their little brother. Bowen, a life that is fighting so hard to keep going.

God, we question why things like this happen. We don't understand why anyone has to lose a life so young, or be born with burdens that are at times physically impossible to bare. This reminds me of our little Carter that passed away a few months ago, that fought an incredibly long and grueling fight with cancer. Lord, why do they have to face this?

Loss is never something easy to grasp. Even when my precious GrandFather died Christmas day three years ago, it was still heart wrenching and life changing even though he had lived a long and beautiful life.

I'm reading through a book for one of my classes and these words resonated in my heart when thinking about loss. "Loss, any kind of loss---rejection, abandonment, divorce, death---is a shocking, numbing, gray thing that at the outset, at least, freezes the heart and slows the mind. Loss changes life at the root. Irrevocable. What was once the center of life--the person, the position, the plan, the lifestyle---is no more." (The Story of Ruth)

 Loss freezes the heart and slows the mind. 


So how to we grasp this? I'm speaking for those of us on the outside looking in. We may not have been in the direct line of this loss, yet we still experience this sadness and utter shock of the preciousness of life.

I don't know about you, but I have to run to God. I may not understand why things are happening the way they are, but I know that he does. He's the one that brought life into Orrin the day he was born. He's the one continuing to breathe life into the lungs of little baby Bowen.

We may not be experiencing loss the same as those who have lost their son, their brother, their best friend. But our lives have been shaken a bit. Our eyes have been opened to the reality of life, and the shortness of it at times.

This morning I woke up with a heavy heart. I was sad for Orrin's family. I felt for his close friends. I was wondering how baby Bowen was doing, wondering how his new Mommy and Daddy were handling this challenging time. So I chose to open my bible, and seek some encouragement, some comfort from my God.

" Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31

Then I skimmed further and found this,

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Guys, God is holding onto us. He is taking care of Orrin's family, he is holding the hand of Bowen. No matter where you are at in life, no matter what types of loss you have experienced, God is holding your hand. He wants you to know how much he loves you. So cry out to him, pray to him. He is listening.

My challenge for myself, and for you today, is to remind your family that you love them. Tell your closest friends how much you cherish them. Hug those you love, and kiss your children goodnight. But most of all, pray for those who are experiencing the loss first hand. Pray for those who are hoping for a life to just hold on.

Life is a beautiful thing. Don't take it for granted.

Sep 12, 2010

Waiting for Something Beautiful

Yep. I'm listening to that amazing song by Needtobreathe called Something Beautiful.
And once again, I'm inspired.

The past few weeks have been just wonderful! I finished my job with the college and was able to do some last minute deep cleaning before my busy final year at CBC started. It was so nice to have a few weeks just to myself cleaning, and enjoying time spent with good girlfriends and family. Jason and I went home for about a week and spent some quality time with my family and that was such a gift! Everytime I get to see them, I'm reminded of how blessed I am to have them. They bring such refreshment into my life, and I thank God for that every day. Wish you could have been there wish us big brother!

So, I've actually begun the process of gathering info and what not for The Beautiful Truth. It's been such a fun beginning to this journey. I was able to get my mission statement put together, my vision, and the things that I value in regards to this dream. Thanks Cyndy for helping me with your expertise in getting this stuff out!

                              Here's what the walls looked like while we were doing the vision cast!



To you guys, this looks like a jumble of color. But to me, it's ideas, dreams, and goals that have been written on my heart for months and are finally out on paper! It's been so fun beginning my research and getting some foundation set. The Beautiful Truth is BEGINNING! I have a lot of work to do, lots of prayer, and boy oh boy I'm excited:)

If any of you know someone that's passionate about making a change in the hearts and minds of our young women in the way they see themselves. If you want to help, email me! If you want to be a prayer warrior, I REALLY need it.

I'll keep you all updated on what's new with The Beautiful Truth.

I'm waiting for something beautiful to start rolling on into my life....:)