the simple truth, again...

My Facebook feed this morning brought me back this post from today, 2 years ago.  It was the simple truth for me then and MAN, did it meet me RIGHT where I'm at this morning as my simple truth for today.

JUST JUST what I needed someone to say to me.

Hope it's what you need today, too....


This is nothing new to anybody, nothing brilliant. 

It is just a reminder, if you are one of the many dear people I have heavy on my heart right now who are just. not. sure. what. God. is. doing.  

Just not sure what in the world you are going to do.

Bundles of overwhelming concern for others (otherwise known as worry) is kind of a family trait.  The only person who worried more than I did growing up was my mom.  (That's 'cause she had three kids.  I get it now.)  So I remember feeling surprised when she was diagnosed with leukemia and said to me, right away, "God hasn't brought us this far, Stacey, to abandon us now."

This simple, trusting thought had never occurred to me.  Not sure it had ever occurred to Mom.

But suddenly, it became the family motto.  Through chemo, through transplants, through ports and blood counts, moves and maladies, it was often the ONLY truth we clung to.

God was in it.  God was with us.  He hadn't brought us this far to abandon us now.

Looking back, I suppose it would have been easy upon her sudden and unexpected death the same day her second transplant successfully took to reject the truth altogether.  Apparently He HAD abandoned us now.  Apparently He was taking "us" no further. 

But by His grace, the thought never occurred to me.  We simply continued with the motto.  God hasn't brought us this far to abandon us now.  The truth we had stepped out upon optimistically at the beginning of mom's battle with cancer had settled into unconditional truth.

Today, I can see so clearly how true it is.  He DIDN'T abandon us then, nor did He abandon mom.  He  drew us close, and drew her close, too.

I could take you through a thousand trials since then He has persevered through and as I struggle with the heartbreak and uncertainty of others, I've got nothing to say but the same thing, which is a truth I've staked my life on and the only one that makes any difference.

God hasn't brought you this far--in your marriage, with your kids, with your finances, in your relationships, with your illness, in your job, in your loss, in your journey--to abandon you now.

So take courage.  Choose joy.  He is with you, is in control, and while we might have NO idea what He is doing, we know this: He Isn't. Going. Anywhere.

My BF Elisa took both these pictures this past week in Washington!