Never Forgotten
If you read my last post, The Heart Of God, you know that the part of life no one likes was coming at my family full force a month ago. Less than a week after that post, one of my sisters left this earth. She went to be with Jesus, a win for her. But a loss for us.
All of us who have been through grief know the impact of loss is like an ongoing shock wave. The grief at first is immediate and heart-wrenching, and the resulting waves affect every part of our being. Emotions struggle to accept a new reality. The body’s state of exhaustion seems to have no end. And the mind finds focus elusive. Even when things begin to look up, sadness suddenly clouds the heart like an unexpected shower covering the land.
A fourth part of us humans is also affected. Our spiritual part. What happens to it in times of loss? Most often, one of two things. Our soul either finds comfort in our Maker and our spirit is lifted, or we turn away from Him in anger, leaving our spirit without an anchor in the midst of a great storm. Sometimes a mist of confusion blankets us, and we want to ask, “Why?” Even then, we find comfort in the One whose understanding far surpasses ours, if we’re willing to turn to Him.
Hidden But Not Forgotten
A week after my sister’s Celebration of Life service, I wandered through my backyard. My mind was in a muddle and needed a new view. Expecting to simply see blue sky and trees, I was stunned to find that flowers bloomed. How did that happen?! Somehow, in the midst of our family’s needs, I completely missed winter turning to spring.
In shock that I had missed something as major as the change of season, I walked back to the house and saw something that made even less sense to my muddled brain than buds on a plant. In a pile of items seldom used, a flower box sat. With daffodils blooming.
One year ago, I bought a flower box full of blossoming daffodils. I enjoyed the blooms until they died. And then, meaning to plant the bulbs later, I set the box aside. And forgot.
It’s so easy for us humans to forget. The green stalks faded, wilted, dried up, and were cut. But the bulbs were forgotten. At least by me. But not by our Father. Instead, He simply watered them right where they were, and in their out-of-the-way location, they bloomed.
As the bulbs in the flower box were not forgotten by our Creator, so we are never forgotten by our Heavenly Father. No matter the situation in life, God knows where we are, what is happening for us and to us, and He is at work. He desires to return joy to our souls. Resting in Him, in the out-of-the-way places we find ourselves, Jesus comforts our hearts and strengthens our spirits. We may feel hidden for a time, but we are never forgotten.
The God Who Sees
In Genesis 16, we read the story of Hagar, a slave woman hurting and in need. Having run away from her owner, “the angel of the LORD found her.” The LORD comforted Hagar, encouraged her, and gave her hope and direction for her future. Hagar’s response was to call God by the name, El Roi, the God who sees. She found that day that the God of Abraham had not forgotten her.
When we are grieving, hurting, or lonely, our God is the One who sees. He sees me. He sees you. He loves us and wants to comfort us. He desires to encourage us, give us hope and direction for our future. No matter how things feel, He has not forgotten us.
Often things on this earth make no sense. And there are times life’s events and people cause us pain. Even so, we can trust our Father who sees. His heart is for us, not against us. He grieves with us when we grieve and desires to walk with us through our pain. And just like the daffodils in the forgotten flower box, flowers will bloom again in our hearts. We can trust our Father, the One who sees. For to Him we are never forgotten.
Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.
Isaiah 26:4
(Scripture: KJV; Photos: Taken by Carolyn Thigpen, Grayson, GA, March, 2022)
