Waves of Grief and Grace - a guest post by Laura Latham

Dear friends of Church 4 Chicks,

Since the turn of the year, our little team has experienced the painful reality of death several times as team members have lost dear, close friends, parents, grandparents, a spouse; and most recently a beloved fiance just in the past week.

A friend of this ministry, Laura Price Latham, knows the reality of this kind of loss all too well as her family marks the 6-month anniversary of her brother's very unexpected home going. It is with her permission that we share this with you. 

May the Grace and Peace of our Savior be with us all.

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Six months ago today, my sweet brother entered into the presence of his beloved Lord and Savior. To say that the last six months have changed our lives is an understatement. It has truly changed everything. Heaven is no longer a place we will go when we die, but our true home; a place we long for. This world: a temporary dwelling. Life: fleeting; a vapor. People: made in the image of God who desperately need a Savior. The Gospel: urgent and our only hope. The apostle Paul said in Colossians to, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Although our family has always been one to place more value on the things of God, there is something about death that completely shifts your focus to that which is eternal... That makes you long for heaven.

Over the last six months, we have grieved, but every time the tumultuous waves of grief have hit, waves of grace have swept in even harder and hope has anchored our hearts and souls. As much as we may grieve, however, the irony of death for our family(and all believers) is this: My brother is at home in the very presence of the Lord, But we remain "foreigners and temporary residents in this world." My brother is more alive today than ever, while we are the ones who are "outwardly wasting away."

So when my heart aches because it feels that my family is broken, I remember this truth--- that God will not leave this world this broken, but He will one day restore it to its perfect order and make all things new. When I feel the painful sting of death, my heart rejoices in the Resurrection of Jesus and I thank God that because of it, "DEATH HAS BEEN SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY!" Thank you Jesus!

This originally appeared here and is shared with Laura's permission.

The Refreshment Jesus offers ~ A Guest Post by Jennie Atkins

It’s hot. You’re sweating—okay, women don’t sweat, we perspire.  It still doesn’t change the fact that the thermometer has crept far too close to the unpleasant three-digit mark and the humidity of summer has left your hair limp, your attitude as unsettled as the air before a thunderstorm, and you’re uncomfortable.

Imagine that someone hands you a tall glass of iced tea or ice-cold water with lemon. Or pushes you into the deep end of a cool pool. Or both, like the remake of the 1980’s Nestea commercial.  Ahhh! Refreshing!  It hits the spot and gives you an instant attitude adjustment.

Now consider your life. Are you so overwhelmed with earthly responsibilities, stressed to the max, or just tired to the bone?  Are the demands on your time endless? Don’t get me wrong, all of these things—you spouse, family, and job—are valid demands, but you feel as if there is no end in sight.

 

Well I am handing you a tall glass of refreshment.

In John 4:13 Jesus tells the Samaritan woman “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus is our living water. Our eternal refreshment that goes far beyond drenching our parched throats. It quenches the cravings of our soul.

The refreshment Jesus offers is never-ending.

Ezekiel 47 tells us about Ezekiel’s prophetic vision of the river flowing from the new temple. The water flowed from under the threshold flowing eastward.  The further away from the temple it went the deeper and wider it became.

Verse 5 says it “was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross.” This river, is a picture of God’s refreshment. It is an endless flow coming straight from the throne of God. He longs to give us all we need. Whether it be peace and refreshment or strength to tackle the day ahead. Either way, we can drink from His endless supply of living water.

The refreshment Jesus offers sustains life.

Verse 9 tells us “Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows.” And “where the river flows everything will live.”  In God there is abundant life, life in Him. 

There is a river near me that is a sea of color from the sheer number fish trying to make their way upriver to spawn. This is exactly the picture that forms in my mind when I read this verse. It also tells of the fishermen standing in the water, their nets spread wide to take in God’s abundance. God gives us everything we need to live abundantly, in Him. We shall be like the fishermen, our nets open and full of his blessings.

The refreshment Jesus offers has the power to heal.

Verse 12 shows us “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail…Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” With God’s living water, there is sustenance and there is healing—for our bodies and our spirit.

Sometimes our lives leave us hot, thirsty, and dry. Stop what you’re doing and take a long sip from the well of living water. Drink of the refreshment Jesus has to offer. You’ll never thirst—or want—again. 

A native Ohioan, Jennie and her husband of almost 40 years have sold their home and are ready to begin the “next chapter” of their life together—a step in faith—destination unknown. While packing their home and waiting for all the paperwork to be done, Jennie loves to garden, sew, or go four-wheeling. Jennie has four children and four grandchildren.

Connect with Jennie at JennieAtkins.com 

When Joy Becomes Just a Word - a guest post by John Boring

This world can kick like a mule some days and when it does there's nothing but sorrow falling down around us and joy becomes just a word that has little meaning. 

That's when our focus goes inward and we gather our sadness like an old blanket and we huddle under it; waiting for some goodness to shine on us and bring warmth and relief into our life. 

This is how we hope to survive; believing that sorrow seeks out only the happy and ignores those already immersed in the muck of despair. 

We have no idea that sorrow begets sorrow, sadness breeds sadness and lack of hope produces hopelessness. When calamity comes to call, ignoring it and hoping for the best rarely works out in a favorable way. God created us as tender-hearted creatures, easily damaged and emotionally fragile. Our nature is to flinch when threatened and huddle when wounded; to seek out the protection of our clan if we have one. 

If we are isolated and alone, we seek only shelter; a place where we can hide and recover. Along the way to such a place, we set aside our faith and ignore the nearness of the Great Healer, the one who can hold our fractured hearts in his hands and heal our wounds. 

It takes great strength and courage to ignore the natural instincts that govern our need to survive on our own, and instead, turn ourselves outwards towards Christ and lay our life in His hands. 

It requires great trust and love for it is within those that we find that courage and strength. There is no shame in believing we can stand alone for that is our nature. But, there is hope and healing when we let Jesus stand with us when we are suffering. That was his promise to us all. 

The world will still kick but we are never alone in taking the blows. Christ lives, and through him we also live. 

God bless.

This post was written by Shelley Hendrix's friend, John Boring, and is shared here with his permission.

God’s Tear Jar ~ A Guest Post by Stephanie Rische

My husband, Daniel, has given me many gifts in the time we’ve been married, but one of the most gracious is the way he handles my tears.

Over the years I’ve prided myself in my ability to handle things pretty stoically, at least to all watching eyes. But somehow since saying “I do,” I’ve found I’m much leakier than I used to be—perhaps because I’ve found in Daniel such a safe place.

One of my favorite images in the Psalms is the picture David paints in Psalm 56 of God collecting all our tears in a bottle. David was no stranger to sadness. For all that his life was charmed—what with giant killing and a promotion from shepherd to king—he still had plenty to feel down about along the way.

It seems significant that David wrote about God’s tear jar when he did: just after being rejected twice. First by King Saul, whom David had served faithfully, both with his music and in battle, risking his very life only to be repaid with a spear aimed at his head. On the heels of that rejection came another one: this time from the Philistines, whom David had been fighting with side-by-side since his exile. It was in that moment of feeling alone that he cried out to God:

You keep track of all my sorrows.

You have collected all my tears in your bottle.

You have recorded each one in your book.

—Psalm 56:8

When I picture heaven, I envision one room that’s filled with shelf after shelf of jars—jars of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Each one is labeled with a name, and on the inside are all the tears that person has shed during his or her time on earth.

Something I love about the tear jar image is what it says about God’s view of our suffering. He doesn’t tell us to suck it up; he doesn’t instruct us to plaster a fake smile on our faces; he doesn’t wag his finger and rebuke us for being babies. He tenderly collects every tear, validating each stab of pain we feel. No teardrop is too bitter. No sorrow is too small. Each one is lovingly guided into the jar.

When Daniel and I first got married, I found myself frequently apologizing for my tears—especially when they seemed weak or unnecessary or just plain silly. But each time Daniel would put his arms around me and find the nearest napkin or paper towel or sleeve to wipe my runny mascara. Then he’d say, “You don’t have to be sorry. The Daniel-and-Stephanie team is okay with tears.”

God’s team, gratefully, is the same. The jar in heaven with your name on it is proof.
“Where there are tears, we should pay attention.”
—Frederick Buechner

Stephanie Rische is a senior editor of nonfiction books at Tyndale House Publishers, as well as a freelance writer for her.meneutics, Today’s Christian Woman, and Christian Marriage Today. She cowrote Uncommon Marriage Bible Study with Tony Dungy and contributed to Everyday Matters Bible for Women. 

She and her husband, Daniel, live in the Chicago area, where they enjoy riding their bikes, making homemade ice cream, and swapping bad puns. 

You can connect with Stephanie in the following places: 

Website/blog: stephanierische.com 

Twitter: twitter.com/StephanieRische

Facebook: facebook.com/stephanie.rische

Pinterest: pinterest.com/stephanierische