Monday, February 24, 2014

What-Ifs.

This past week has been a sad week. We've mourned with loved ones who have lost--some too soon, some at the end of a rich and beautiful life. When a deluge of heartbreak falls into our lives, I find myself scrambling to make sense of it.

My sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Matuskey, used to have a saying: "I don't deal with what-ifs". If we found cause for panic and began rambling, "What if this? What if that?!", she would simply shrug and reply, "I don't deal with what-ifs."

She was one of my favorite teachers. That could be a blog post in and of itself.

But I found myself thinking back to her classroom and her words. I see now, as an adult, what she was saying. There will always be unpredictables in life. Things that happen beyond our control. And if we immerse ourselves in the suffocating murkiness of worry and doubt, we will find ourself continually plagued by our inability to be in control. And we will want to shirk away and hide, failing to see the bigger picture and God's goodness in it.

But God has greater things for us. The hope of heaven. Believing that all things work together for a greater purpose. And these are the truths we cling to when we see those around us hurting. "What if that were to happen to me? What if?" And I am reminded of God's charge to us to not worry. To trust His Sovereign plan, even when we ache.

Because He aches, too.

And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes;
and there will no longer be any death;
there will no longer be any mourning,
or crying,
or pain;
the first things have passed away.

Revelation 21:4

My mind is with those loved ones today.



2 comments:

  1. It's been a sad week for us too, for the same reasons.

    I needed this post today. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete