On my way home from work tonight, I heard two songs that spoke to me "louder" than they have in the past. They made me emotional and made me think of my Aunt Melissa. I wasn't sure what brought Aunt Melissa to my mind, and I read my Aunt Melinda's update on Caring Bridge just now and believe the Lord put Aunt Melissa on my mind for a reason - to pray for her. I didn't know in that moment her chemo hasn't been responding as well as we hoped. The things we do know come from the Lord. That He loves us, cares for us, and that we weren't created to live on earth and for this to be the end. There is SO much greater in store for us, friends. We all have hard days and it's been so tough to see my family go through tough things in the past year (Joe's accident and Aunt Melissa's cancer are big ones). BUT. God created us to long for so much more - for eternal, unending life with Him. It isn't perfect here, but it will be in Heaven.
I'm writing these words as much for me as anyone else. Life here is hard, really really hard sometimes. We have to cling to our truths to get us by, and trust His plan. I can tell you one thing, Aunt Melissa's cancer, as much as we {I don't like the word "hate, but that's what I wanted to put here} what my Aunt Melissa (and family) is going through, God has been doing something beautiful through her faith. I can't tell you how many people, including myself, she has inspired in the face of one the toughest circumstances the earth can offer. She posts daily Bible verses to inspire others, and has caused so many of us to learn by her faith example.
We all need Aunt Melissas in our lives. Women to inspire us to trust stronger, love deeper, and share our faith in ways we alone couldn't do. Now I've gotten myself all kinds of emotional, but I know you know where I'm at. What if everyone had an Aunt Melissa in their life? What if we could all inspire others with our faith in the midst of trials? Or inspire others in the happy times? We don't see His whole plan, but seeing some of the silver lining of it shows us a little look at the beauty yet to come.
If you're in a tough spot, I hope my Aunt Melissa's hope and faith can inspire you too. If you haven't heard these songs in a while, they may hit you too. Both gave me chills on my way home tonight.
We can do this. Through Him, we can do all things. (Phil 4:13)
Lord, I need you by Matt Maher (click this link if the video below doesn't load)
I will Rise, Chris Tomlin (click this link if the video below doesn't load)
Today's Pinspiration:
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