Clouds and Rain…

This has been a tough week for many people… and as a friend, I hurt with them.

Actually June has been a tough month. Four co-workers unexpectedly died, an old friend lost her son in a very tragic and shocking manner. While at work, I care for families whose babies have died or will die and many parents are grieving. My husband will be leaving on a trip and I will be alone for the first time since leaving my mother’s home decades ago… so I am finding that my emotions are a little raw…

When you hurt, how do you react? What is your first response?

My way?

When wounded, I begin with anger and then after a time, move into withdrawal. I cocoon. Oh, I can spin a cocoon in no time flat, the spindly, spider that I am. In cocoon design, I am a pretty accomplished spinner. I know exactly how to decorate the interior… settle in… making my little secret place comfy cozy and all the while convince myself that I am totally at peace in the world.

Spiders aren’t the only ones who do this, you know. Clown Fish are pretty good at it too. Isn’t cocooning what Marlin, Nemo’s father, wanted more than life, in the movie, Finding Nemo? It took a good friend, albeit rather brainless friend, Dorie, to teach him bad things happen and we must, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, and keep on swimming”. And it is true, we do need to go on, but to go on, we must first find a catalyst that enables abandonment of the cocoon- home-prison.

We need love, miraculous love… Love more powerful than spider silk, which is pretty strong by the way… love powerful enough to break free…we need God.

Only God is bigger than our biggest problems and heartaches. Only God is big enough to hold us in his strong arms while we carry a baby in our wombs who is destined to die. Only God can cradle our broken souls and catch our tears as we try, yet failing, to stop thinking about our child’s last breath… wondering, “did they suffer”.

Who will care for us, walk us through, and give constant love in the midst of all this pain? God will.

Psalms 56:8 says, “God knows each tear you cry and has counted and stored each one of them bottle.”

Who will sing sweet melodies of love over us while we weep and wail… utterly bereft and seemingly alone… hoping no one hears? God will.

He hears and knows. God cares.

And at the end of days, God says, “
“I heard a loud voice shout from the throne: God’s home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make his home among his people. He will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever. Then the one sitting on the throne said: I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted” (Rev 21: 3-5).

God is preparing a place for us. And it is going to be… well, nothing like this world. Let’s journey there together! Don’t you want to come?

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11: 28.