Grace

I had a hard time telling my little ones goodnight tonight. I had just watched the Chapman family on Larry King Live. My heart is so grieved over their loss of little Maria. I cannot imagine how they must feel and how they are dealing with it all. The scripture that keeps coming to mind over and over again is Hebrews 4:16.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

God gives a special mercy and grace to people when they need it. It is obvious that the Chapman family is being flooded with God's grace right now. Their grace is not mine to have because I don't need it at this time. Maybe that's why I have such a difficult time understanding how they can get up in the morning let alone open themselves up with such transparency to the whole world.

Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Miracle of the Moment" is a good reminder to live each moment to the fullest. Each breath we take here on earth is a gift and we never know when it might be the last. I want to do it right. I want to focus on the miracle of each moment I have here and make the most of it for God's glory.

For the Chapmans, I know that their prayer for this interview was that God would use it to draw others to Himself. That people would see and understand that the greatest hope we have in this life is to spend all eternity with the loving Father that created us.

I pray that God will allow the Chapmans to see the fruit that He will bring about as a result of their willingness to be honest and open in the midst of such tremendous grief. I pray that God will continue to sustain them with His great grace and bring healing and peace to them once again. They are forever changed but they cling to the One who never changes and who has promised to reunite them with Maria someday. He, Jesus Christ, is the One they hope in and He is the One I hope in. Without that hope, we have nothing.

Let's Get "Un"comfortable

Last week I blogged about empathy and taking the time to consider what the rest of the world is going through as we walk through this journey.

Today I came across an article by Andree Seu who writes for World Magazine. She talked about stepping out of her own comfort zone to minister to those she comes into contact with...even total strangers.

Reading her thoughts, which you can find here, I had to wonder how many people I pass by on any given day without another thought. People that are obviously hurting or in need. Or maybe people that have needs not so obvious. They may be people I know or they may be total strangers.

We are all needy in some respect. A smile, a kind word, or maybe a few minutes of our time can be such an encouragement to someone else and we just might be surprised what it does for us as well.

I have been struck lately by the suffering that is all around us. We won't have to look far to find someone that is hurting or lonely. Let's take a few minutes to step out of our own comfort zone and reach out to them. Every time we do, it will make it that much easier the next time.

You don't have to have all of the answers. Usually a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on go much further anyway. Then again, the best answer of all is the hope of Christ for the lost and the reassurance of that hope for the suffering believer.

So, will you offer an ear or a shoulder and get "un"comfortable with me?

Photo by Erin J. Pond (no kin)

Empathy

As some of you know the death of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter Maria really got to me. I know that part of it is probably because they had so much to do with our own decision to adopt, part of it is having little ones from China, part of it is being a mom and trying to put myself in their shoes, and part of it is that every time I see pictures of Maria they make me think of Kara.

Over the last 14 years we have experienced the death of some people very close to us ... 3 very dear friends, my Granny, Keith's dad, and then his Grandpa. The morning after I would always wake up feeling like it was wrong for the sun to shine that day. It felt weird to be out and about and see that life, at least for other people, had not changed. Somehow it seemed like the world should stop and everyone should acknowledge the pain that we were feeling.

If you've never experienced that feeling, I pray that you never have to. But reality suggests that at some point you will know exactly what I mean. I can't imagine how people grieve without the hope of Christ.

I went to Steven Curtis Chapman's website the other day to read about Maria's memorial service and I came across a blog entry written by Kerry Hasenbalg. Kerry's husband, Scott, is the Executive Director of Shaohannah's Hope, the organization started by the Chapmans to help others with the financial hardships of the adoption process. The Hasenbalgs and the Chapmans are very close friends.

Kerry gave birth to a stillborn baby girl in January of this year so she is intimately acquainted with the grieving process and has spent a lot of time with the Chapmans in these early days of their own grief.

I hope you will take a minute or two to read what she wrote about being softened by suffering. You can find her blog entry here. It touched my heart and has really made me look at people differently when I am out and about these days. There is so much suffering in our world and we never know what's going on behind the masks that others wear to cover their own hurt and sorrow.

I share this with you in the hope that we will all show each other a little more compassion. When your smile is not returned by someone you encounter, instead of being offended, pray for them. It's easy to get our feathers ruffled but if we really knew what was going on in the lives of others I think we would be a much kinder people. At least, I hope so.

Please continue to pray for the Chapman family. The services are over and most people have gone back to their normal lives. The Chapmans' lives have been forever changed and their grief will be fresh for some time to come.