Thankyou Father!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Up until this past week I really had no good application for the above verse. I had read it before and wondered if faced with some type of hard trial could this be said about me. Well if you are to ask Steph and I how we are doing and how we have done this past week the answer is good. I will be the first to admit that it has been hard and challenging and we have both shed our share of tears, however the answer still is we are good. We have amazing friends and family that have rallied around us this week and have supported us through prayers, meals and simply being there for us. To this we say thanks to all of you for the love you have shown us.

As we headed into the week I started to pray about why was this happening to us and how could it possibly be happening, especially after two very normal pregnancies that blessed us with two amazing boys. This is when the lies started to flood in from the enemy, reasons from I had made Steph work too much over the weekend, I should have never turned in the Elder application, I should have saw to it that she had got more sleep and many more lies. Steph can list a number of lies that were told to her as well over this last week that tried to discourage and divide us in this trying time. Through all of this we have seen the will of God at work. We have been able to rejoice, pray without ceasing and give thanks and for this we praise our amazing Father that has been so faithful to us.

As I started to reflect on what has been happening in our lives in the months leading up, I was able to see the Lord working in our lives to prepare us for the worst night of our lives. Every night we read with Maxson out of his Toddler Bible and for the last couple of months he has been insistent on reading about the moon, the story of creation. On more than one occasion I tried to start somewhere else and he would inform me, no daddy read about moon. His insistence caused both Steph and I to go back and take another look at the first couple of chapters of Genesis. As I studied through this I looked up the word “will” in the Hebrew and Greek to better understand God’s will. In both languages it means good pleasure and plan. In the beginning we see God’s will in its fullest as He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They were in communion with Him and there was no pain or sorrow that we now see in or lives today. By no means was it His will for us to loose a child. The loss and sorrow we have dealt with the last couple of days has been a result of the fallen world we live in. Even after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, He still took care of them by providing them with clothing as they left the Garden of Eden. The extra time that I spent over the past months studying through creation has given me a better understanding of God’s will and the fallen world we live in.

Why do I write this to share with you all? I am not sure other than it has helped me put down the thoughts and feelings I have experienced over the last week on this journey. Also I wanted to share with all of you the true will of God as I have been taught over the last couple of months through two boys, a loving wife and a lost baby. I also pray that if any of you are faced with some type of hard trial that you will be able to rejoice, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks as you our Heavenly Father carries you during that trial.

Love,
Rick