ENCOURAGEMENT

In my devotions today I read Psalm 37, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to The Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.  Rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him … do not fret.” WOW … these words encourage no matter what is going on in your life … but, especially for the one who is hopeless.  Mel Conrad feels God’s call to share what He is teaching her when life feels hopeless.  She has learned through life experiences, personal growth and educational training that there can be life after loss … death, divorce, career, relationships …whatever it is that has been taken. There are tremendous needs on many levels for those suffering loss … personal needs, healing from brokenness, discovery of unknowns … can God help? Even those who do not yet know God or embrace His Truth can experience moving from mourning to joy after loss.  Yes, God can help and Mel is part of a ministry here at First Baptist that joins with God to do just that.  One does not have to go far to discover families in pain – flawed – with fractured relationships, living in despair.   There are predictable stages that a person goes through during a loss before they arrive on the other side with hope -- hope comes from Jesus.   Grief Share and Divorce Care are ministries of need that touch, heal, restore and bring hope.  No one signs up for loss;  no one wants it to go the way shattered dreams.  Most struggle to persevere and make relationships work, make them last … but, reality is it takes at least three – the couple and Jesus.  Meditation, prayer and counseling can bring clarity but even then it is painful.  God allows loss not to cripple us but as a conduit to carry grace and mercy to one another.  Mel says, “I was called to share hope, understanding and the grief process with any who have experienced loss.”  She continues to show up to facilitate our “help groups” because she knows there is no hope or forward movement when we look back.  Only when we look forward at The WORD can a person discover salvation, hope and a glorious future.  No matter what the loss, Mel says she has learned a key piece to healing is in the opportunity to share with another going through a similar experience.  She has faced … death of a spouse, and loss through divorce…  both have been journeys that have propelled her to share with others.  We all want to belong to someone, to feel we are not alone, especially when experiencing a great loss.  Our “help groups” provide a safe place to process, to feel comfortable sharing, to find your voice, to come to a sense of balance, to explore doubts and fears and to express hope in moving forward. Referencing Isaiah 61:1-3, in the synagogue  Jesus’ interprets His mission but also reveals the ministry He wants His people to perform … I think I can safely say that Mel feels this is her call to serve those grieving a loss.  “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, to and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness … “  In this season of giving, could God be calling you to minister to His children who are hurting? Janice Adams

Grief Share

December begins for most people on the 1st of the month, but for others the 25th of the month seems to be the following Friday. Writing personal messages in our Christmas cards gives me time to pray about friends far and near.  My smart phone interrupted my solitude.  Our daughter was calling from Bellingham, Washington, sobbing and breathless as she spoke.  I couldn’t make out what she was saying; thoughts of our three young granddaughters, and James our son in-law who drives to Seattle and back each day, dashed through my head. Finally, she began to explain that Piper, her sister and brother and all their children were in Disney World for a week with their parents as a Christmas gift from their Mother, Nana and Stepfather, Papa.  Piper is one of our daughter’s special friends and Jack and I love her as well. Piper and her mother enjoyed riding roller coasters together since she was a young child.  That day they had screamed with joy and laughed, stepping from their seats onto the walk-way, Nana began to feel terribly uncomfortable.  Nana’s husband and Piper helped Nana to a bench as her children and nine grandchildren watched.  Papa alerted a Disney employee to send for an ambulance for his wife.  Immediately the EMT’s were administering aid and placed her in the ambulance leaving for the nearest hospital.  Children were taken to the hotel with an uncle and Nana’s children and husband raced to the hospital. By the time they arrived to the emergency room, plans had been made for Flight for Life to take Nana to a larger hospital where a group of specialty doctor’s would treat her. Nana’s husband and children now knew she was in critical condition. Again, the family drove to another unfamiliar area to locate another hospital. Nana had suffered a brain hemorrhage and now was on life support.  The doctors determined that the extent of her brain damaged was over 80%.  Papa and her children prayed and then took Nana off life support, which was her desire if she was in a situation such as this.  The family remembered words Nana had said to the family, “One day I will see you all in Heaven.” The following Sunday during Sunday school, I asked for prayers for Piper and her family.  Jim and Diane Weil were present and Jim suggested Grief Share for Piper and her family after our class.  I had never looked into this literature, but after Jim explained its effectiveness and the booklet, “Surviving the Holidays,” Jack and I made arrangements to pick up the booklet.  Both Jim and Diane gave us two books and reinstated important areas within the booklet.  Jack and I walked through its contents and mailed the booklet the same day with prayers.  Piper told our family that she could not have gotten through the holidays without this information and is still re-reading its pages. -In Him, the Lord who knows our needs, Lauralee Caubin.