Pain, Tears, and Hope

Christmas time is a time for celebration, joy and merriment. As we walk through this jolly time of year, there are some for whom this is a painful time of year. For those who have lost loved ones, the holidays can be painful. For those who have lost a child, it can be an excruciating holiday. 
I walk this path with many people. You see, 13 years ago today, our baby went to be with Jesus. For many years, Christmas was a source of pain, and sadness. I am thankful that I serve a God that heals hearts, for he has truly healed mine. 
As I read the Christmas story one more time, I see mothers that lost children and were in pain. All because of one man. 
 

He coveted power above all else, including life.


Executed innocent children to protect his position.


Rage and hate filled his heart.


Ordered the Magi to help him, but they chose to listen to God.


During the tragedy, God never missed a tear, but knows that pain is sometimes part of the plan.

Matthew 2:7-18

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

 ⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 ¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

 ¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

 ¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

 ¹⁸ “A voice is heard in Ramah,
   weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
   and refusing to be comforted,
   because they are no more.”

There were some mothers in Bethlehem who suffered a great loss. Herod was so far from God, he did not care what pain he caused to those families.

There are still people today who take life without thinking of the consequences to others. Please know that God did not miss it when Herod did it, and God does not miss your pain today.

Psalm 56:8

⁸You have kept count of my tossings;
    put my tears in your bottle.
    Are they not in your book?

Hold on to Jesus. He came so that we can have hope in spite of the pain! That is why Jesus came to earth, why he was born in that manger. Why you and I can have hope!
Know that you are not alone, the Body of Christ desires to love and comfort you during this time.

If you have never had to walk through the pain of loss, maybe God is calling you to comfort someone who has, so be looking! Keep your eyes and your heart open.

Chasing After Hearts,

Glenda Johnson

My Must Read of This Year- "Choosing To See" by Mary Beth Chapman

I am an avid reader. I read books voraciously with there never being a time that I am not reading at least two books, usually three at time. When I won the book "Choosing to See" by Mary Beth Chapman, by commenting on Ron Edmondson's Blog, http://www.ronedmondson.com, I was very thankful! After all, I was walking through a tough time, and maybe this book would be encouraging.

I assumed this book would be like all the rest, and I expected to read it while reading the other books I was working through at the same time. This book is different. At least it was for me.

I read through the "Forward", and put this book down until I finished the other one I was reading. I knew from just that much, I would need everything in me to be focused on what I reading as I read "Choosing To See".

This was a story that deserved singular attention.

I was not wrong. As I began the journey with Mary Beth Chapman, and that's what she does, she takes you on a journey, I was capitvated by her honesty, transparency and trust in God.

As a mother, there were times this was a very difficult book to read. "Difficult"  That seems to be a much too small, and much too inaccurate a word to describe the mother's walk who had to write this story, and must continue to live it out daily.

I found myself needing to put this book down and walk away just to compose myself enough to continue reading. The reason for this is Mary Beth Chapman takes you as close as you will ever get to living her story without being Mary Beth Chapman. I will never feel what she felt. To say I do would be an insult. Only SHE lived this particular story. This is HER life, HER grief, and HER walk. She just brings her readers as close to HER story as one can get, without being HER.

Mary Beth Chapman explains why. It is this explanation that truly changed the way I think about things.

"And so I have prayed that our journey through the shadows of loss might be of some help to those who have experienced similar pain...that our stewardship of this story would comfort many."  - Mary Beth Chapman, "Choosing to See"

It was the,"stewardship of this story" that changed my life. Stewardship. Of the God written story of her life. Mary Beth poignantly crafts this theme throughout her book.
.
I was now "SEEING" God has called me, and each one of His followers to steward the story He has given us. The one He is writing specifically for each of His children.

I can now "SEE" very clearly, this encompasses the messy parts of my life, thanks to Mary Beth Chapman.

Lest I leave you with the idea that this is a singular story of the death of a child, let me be clear. It is the story of hope, trust and the ever enduring faithfulness of God, stewarded beautifully by a woman of God who chooses to "SEE".

Chasing Their Hearts,

Glenda Johnson


"Choosing To See" by Mary Beth Chapman w/ Ellen Vaughn
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
http://www.revellbooks.com
Copyright 2010

"Choosing to See" by Mary Beth Chapman-My Fall MUST Read

I am an avid reader. I read books voraciously with there never being a time that I am not reading at least two books, usually three at time. When I won the book "Choosing to See" by Mary Beth Chapman, by commenting on Ron Edmondson's Blog, http://www.ronedmondson.com, I was very thankful! After all, I was walking through a tough time, and maybe this book would be encouraging.

I assumed this book would be like all the rest, and I expected to read it while reading the other books I was working through at the same time. This book is different. At least it was for me.

I read through the "Forward", and put this book down until I finished the other one I was reading. I knew from just that much, I would need everything in me to be focused on what I reading as I read "Choosing To See".

This was a story that deserved singular attention.

I was not wrong. As I began the journey with Mary Beth Chapman, and that's what she does, she takes you on a journey, I was capitvated by her honesty, transparency and trust in God.

As a mother, there were times this was a very difficult book to read. "Difficult"  That seems to be a much too small, and much too inaccurate a word to describe the mother's walk who had to write this story, and must continue to live it out daily.

I found myself needing to put this book down and walk away just to compose myself enough to continue reading. The reason for this is Mary Beth Chapman takes you as close as you will ever get to living her story without being Mary Beth Chapman. I will never feel what she felt. To say I do would be an insult. Only SHE lived this particular story. This is HER life, HER grief, and HER walk. She just brings her readers as close to HER story as one can get, without being HER.

Mary Beth Chapman explains why. It is this explanation that truly changed the way I think about things.

"And so I have prayed that our journey through the shadows of loss might be of some help to those who have experienced similar pain...that our stewardship of this story would comfort many."  - Mary Beth Chapman, "Choosing to See"

It was the,"stewardship of this story" that changed my life. Stewardship. Of the God written story of her life. Mary Beth poignantly crafts this theme throughout her book.
.
I was now "SEEING" God has called me, and each one of His followers to steward the story He has given us. The one He is writing specifically for each of His children.

I can now "SEE" very clearly, this encompasses the messy parts of my life, thanks to Mary Beth Chapman.

Lest I leave you with the idea that this is a singular story of the death of a child, let me be clear. It is the story of hope, trust and the ever enduring faithfulness of God, stewarded beautifully by a woman of God who chooses to "SEE".

Chasing Their Hearts,

Glenda Johnson


"Choosing To See" by Mary Beth Chapman w/ Ellen Vaughn
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
http://www.revellbooks.com
Copyright 2010