The Musings of Ruth

Main Entry: muse
Function: verb
Pronunciation: 'myüz
Form(s): mused ; mus·ing
1 : to become absorbed in thought ; especially : to turn something over in the mind meditatively and often inconclusively
2 : to think or say reflectively synonym : PONDER

Friday, September 11, 2009

Closer to Love

Our church recently did a series on Habakkuk. We talked about how we all experience "dips" in our lives in one way or another, where we encounter something that either causes us to take pause or sometimes even causes us to complete stop in our tracks of life. Habakkuk shows us how that even in those dips, God is wanting us to press in closer to Him (not just turning to Him during the good times). It's in those moments where we can really learn to trust Him. Of course, there's not always an easy answer to our situations. There won't always seem to be a way out. Sometimes it's something we have to continue to live with. God knows that. He understands that we don't always understand, that we ask why, that we even get upset with Him at times. And that's okay. Our Father loves us deeply, and wants to help us grow, just like us parents want for our children.

In the first week of the series, we showed a video of a couple from Paradox that had lost their youngest son to SIDS when he was only 5 months old. They shared their thoughts and feelings, how they reacted at the time, and how they're still coping. They also shared how they've found some peace from God, even though this is something that will stay with their family forever. The second week, another couple shared their encounter with cancer this year. My friend Marie spoke of how she just felt honored that God had trusted her with this, knowing that He would be glorified through it somehow. Now, to many of us, we can't even begin to understand how she came to that conclusion, but you'd have to know Marie to get a glimpse of how that was even possible for her to see. As of today, she is cancer free and growing stronger day by day.

The last week of the series, we showed a video of some other people at Paradox who have gone through various dips in life. The stories share their dip, some of their heartache, and where they are at now. Some are past those moments, and some are still in the thick of it, trying their best to cling to Christ. Since Matt & I are both in this video, I wanted to share it with you...