An important part of the process of grieving for Scott and all the rest of us will be to see the purpose of God in this. It doesn't mean that we will know the exact reasons why, but there are biblical promises that we know God works all things together for good, and that even the worst tragedies, evils and calamities are purposed and intended for our good.
Another stanza of God Moves In a Mysterious Way says:
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain
God is his own interpreter
And He will make it plain
Oh Lord, make this plain to us. Unfold your purposes before us Lord, through your word, that we may be comforted in knowing that you have grand designs and meaning in our most terrible suffering.
One of the amazing things about the sovereignty of God is that He has an almost infinite number of layers of intentionality working together the fabric of history to accomplish His purposes in creating a beautiful tapestry of His glory. The point here is that Jill's death will be used by God to affect each of us in a different and biblical way.
I would invite you to share stories of good things that have happened, such as evangelistic opportunities, personal convictions, and other "sweet flowers" that have unfolded before your eyes during this tragic time.
I'll start.
Personally I have been convicted of my own sin and have been driven to repent. Luke 13:4-5 has been circulating in my mind. I am reminded that God does not afflict us in the order of our desert. I have mentioned before that I have thought about how much more I deserved to be the one in the hospital. It has caused me to have a more sober look at my life and reevaluate my shortcomings.
I have heard many people talk about the spiritual renewal that this has caused, and I pray that this would be lasting in my own life. I am most afraid that as we learn to accept the reality that we have been given that I might be the same person I was before this happened- I don't want that.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Meaning
Posted by JB at 12:55 PM
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3 comments:
Thank you so much for the constant updates from day 1 of this tragedy. Jill was one of my nursing instructors at SAU and my level 3 clinical instructor. She was so intelligent and no matter what we were doing, she was always so excited!! I remember the day we were practicing starting IV's on each other and she let me start one on her. I could tell she was a little nervous, but as long as it helped the students, she didn't mind....everything went really well by the way.=) The last time I saw her was in a class at the hospital. She told me that she was no longer teaching and of her desire to start a family. Her nursing profession was very important to her, but nothing like her family. The only times I saw her were in a professional capacity, so we never discussed her religious background and what strong beliefs she had. This makes me love and admire her even more!! I was speaking to my 16 year old daughter yesterday about all of this and told her that the tremendous love that Wyatt obviously has for one another makes me want to attend services there. We attend a different church, though not on a regular basis, and are planning on attending Wyatt Sunday. I would love to know that I could depend on my churh family to be there and support my husband, children, and other family members in the event that anything like this should happen to me. Jill is looking down on all of you with such pride in how you are loving and supporting her husband and child. Even though I am not a member of Wyatt,yet, it is wonderful to read the posts and blogs and feel like a part of such a supportive, loving group of people. God Bless You All!!
Tammy Forbes
November 7, 2008 3:02 PM
Through this time of tragedy, at times I have felt abandoned, confused, and unloved, as many of us have I'm sure. Through this and Lauren's death I have known God is sovereign and all knowing, he knows why he is doing this and it doesn't matter if I do or not, but after Scott and Jill's accident, I didn't understand why God was doing this to me, to us, again. Does he really love me? Does he know what he is doing? Well, after visitation, I just broke down. I was so tired of not knowing the answer to our pain and not understanding God's plan. The next morning I was just venting to Heath and I just felt like God really didn't care or didn't love me anymore. However, Wednesday God was at the funeral, He was there for me, like He always is. I just knew I wasn't going to be able to speak at the funeral and when I stepped in the sanctuary the first time there was no way I was stepping up to the pulpit. I know there were so many people praying for me and the rest of us speakers, and God did listen to them, he did care about me. He allowed me to get up there and speak without shedding a tear, "His grace is ALWAYS sufficient for us." Another way God proved his love for me, which actually happened when Lauren died too. The following Monday that Lauren passed away, I had a big test and I knew I wasn't going to be able to study for it so I tried calling my professor to see if I could retake the test, unfortunately I never got a hold of him. I tried studying but nothing was clicking. Because of God's mercy I ended up making a 90 on the test. Today, I was supposed to have a test but because I wasn't there this week I wasn't able to hear some of the lecture, once again because of God's mercy my teacher told me to take the test on Monday. God is so good and he does love us. I don't know the answer to these tragedies, but I do know that we serve a mighty God, a God who cares about each one of us and hears our prayers and our concerns. Like Jill said in her journal and of course Job, "You give and take away, blessed be the name of the Lord."
I have much to say...but not enough space on here to say it. So I will just write a couple texts students have sent me since Jill's death about our study that meets on Sundays:
"Study Bible is really good for me. I cherish every time to study Bible."
"Today's Bible class is the most impressive one for me. I feel real peace in my heart. I know what I should do next. Thank you very much, really. :)"
There are many more that would bless your heart. And you have to know these are coming from students who gave no real thought to God a few weeks or months ago.
Jill's death has swung wide a heavenly gate that we've been trying to pry open, even just a little, for months. I have opportunities to unashamedly speak the truth like never before.
I know Jill is honored; God is surely glorified. How could we hope for any less at the time of our own passing. Here in lies the meaning.
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