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YOUR Room is Ready

I’ve been telling many of my friends and family, “YOUR Room is ready” for months now. Here I sit, writing in the car as my husband and I make our way south to FL to spend the winter with our daughter and escape the cold of Western PA. Hillary will be there for the next three years pursuing her doctorate degree in OT and needed housing so buying a townhouse was a win-win decision. There are three bedrooms in our townhouse. I affectionately refer to the third one as YOUR. You see, the hardest part of this whole snowbird thing is that we’re leaving a whole bunch of special people behind in PA. I miss them already! Though I’m looking forward to this new chapter, it’s somewhat bittersweet.

The passing of a loved one can also be a bittersweet experience, at least if that person is a follower of Jesus. While the heartache is real and painful, we rejoice that they are no longer in pain and suffering. It brings us comfort to know that they have reached their eternal home.

When my beloved 16-year-old nephew went to his heavenly home in 2007, the following scripture passage was read at his funeral & memorial service:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”                                                                                                                   John 14:1-4 NIV

In the midst of deep grief, these words were comforting. Unlike our townhouse in FL, there are many rooms in God’s house. There WILL be room at this inn for all who believe. Your reservation was made the day you turned your life over to Jesus. And guess what? YOUR room will be ready! He will come for you and take you there at just the right time. He said so!

You may be familiar with these words from the chorus of the popular hymn When We All Get to Heaven:            (Sing it if you wish!) 

When we all get to heaven

What a day of rejoicing that will be

When we all see Jesus

We’ll sing and shout the victory…

If you are mourning the loss of a loved one, I pray you will find peace and comfort in knowing that one day, in His perfect time, you will be reunited. It will indeed be a day of rejoicing!

Until then, YOUR room is ready in FL (reservations required)!

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Go Ahead…Tell It

Tell it

Tell it again

Tell of the night our redemption began

 

Sing it

Sing it again

There’s joy now and hope for all men

Tell it again

 

Those are the words to the chorus of a song we recently sang in my church’s annual Christmas cantata.

It seems this time of year is one that lends itself to keeping secrets as we try to surprise our loved ones with just the right gift. I will never forget answering the phone one December to hear these words, “This is Sears. Your ping pong table is in.” Well, there went that surprise! At age 10, I was both excited and devastated by this phone call. I gave the message to my mom, minus some detail, and put on a pretty good act when the ping pong table was unveiled on Christmas morning. That very same ping pong table now resides in my basement. I find that it makes for a wonderful place to wrap gifts!

Unlike the ping pong table, there is a gift that isn’t meant to be kept secret. This is not just any gift, it’s the Ultimate Gift—Jesus.

And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21 NLT

The angel’s words to Joseph were fulfilled in a stable of all places. God gifted us with His Son when Mary gave birth to the long-awaited Messiah. That night changed everything for it WAS the night our redemption began.

I found myself getting choked up every time I sang the words…

Tell it

Tell it again

Tell of the night our redemption began

 

Because of that night there IS joy and hope for all men (and women and children too)! There are a whole lot of people in our midst who are struggling right now. As Pastor Chris often says, “Everybody is dealing with something.” Does someone you know need to hear (or be reminded of) this Good News? Go ahead—tell it. Tell it again and again. Keep telling it. Sing it if you wish, but PLEASE don’t keep this a secret! There is a hurting world that needs to know that Jesus is our joy and our hope, the Savior of the world.

Have you heard?

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:16-17 NLT

Have a Merry Christmas as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

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The Constant

Just recently I taught my algebra students a new term as we began our study of polynomials—constant. If you care to know, it’s the plain old number, the term with a degree of 0. Why is it called the constant? Because, since there is no variable attached to it, its value never changes. In the dictionary, when used as a noun, constant is defined as a situation or state of affairs that does not change.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Change is the Only Constant?” That’s pretty accurate, but not completely. Jesus is constant!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”                  Hebrews 13:8 NLT

 I’ve come to the conclusion that life is a series of transitions. My daughter experienced quite a run of them a few months ago, and, indirectly, so did her dad and I. Though her coursework towards her OTD degree started online in June, it didn’t get real until August when we moved Hillary (and her cat) to FL for the start of the fall semester. That was quite an adventure! We were able to hang around for a week and help her get settled before having to head back to PA so I could begin my own fall semester. I shed tears on and off the whole way home. One thought kept running through my mind, “We just left our baby 1000+ miles away from home with nothing familiar but her cat.” That thought was followed up by the question, “What was I thinking when I encouraged this?” I can laugh about it now that I’ve watched her seamlessly transition to all things new and different, but I wasn’t laughing in August! It seems Hillary has caught onto this “adulting” thing fairly quickly. She may not be a big fan of it (I think she especially misses going to the cafeteria when she’s hungry), but she has proven herself capable.

Hillary had some pretty dramatic life changes thrust on her all at once. Though change to that degree is not an everyday occurrence (thankfully), I think we all experience some level of change in our lives on a daily basis. So, what should we do when the sand shifts beneath our feet and we’re struggling to keep our balance? Seek the One who is even more constant than change—Jesus, our Rock!

“He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.”                                                                                         Psalms 62:6 NLT

He will help us find our footing in the midst of the unsteadiness that comes with change if we just seek Him. And while He’s at it, He’ll clear the path and walk it with us!

“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”                                                                                                                        Proverbs 3:6 NLT

Whatever changes you are currently experiencing in your life, no matter how big or small, I pray you will find comfort, hope and peace in the One who will NEVER change as you cling to, and rest in, His promises.

 

 

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The Young and Influential

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”

1 Timothy 4:12 NLT

If you read my most recent post last week, you’ll remember that my emotions were running high in anticipation of my daughter’s upcoming college graduation on Sunday. This would be true for any parent, but as I said last week, due to Hillary’s battle against CDH, each milestone achieved is magnified a hundred times over. Well, she did it! And by the number of cords draped around her neck in addition to the medallion, she did it quite well. I was about to pop on Sunday! There were many who didn’t think she’d last at Thiel because she was quite apprehensive about the whole college experience in general. After all, she had a pretty good thing going at home! Following a rocky beginning, she immersed herself into both academic and student life at Thiel. She not only survived her 4 years there, she thrived. And I might add, she didn’t feel well for three of those four years. We will be forever grateful that Hillary found the right fit for her when she chose Thiel College.

I was so amped up after the big day that, even though exhausted, I had great difficulty sleeping Sunday night. Eventually I gave up trying and got up and started pouring through the pictures I had taken. It was when I cropped the one above that I was completely overcome with emotion. This picture represents the two young people who have had the most profound impact on my life. I have my arm wrapped around my precious miracle named Hillary Jayne and if you look closely you’ll see I have “Alec” pinned to my heart where he remains whether I am wearing the pin or not. For those who never had the pleasure of knowing Alec, he was my beloved nephew who was much like a second son to me. We shared a deep passion for sports among other things. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at Age 14 and fought back with everything he had for two years before God called him home on July 28, 2007. He demonstrated an extraordinary amount of courage and faith for one so young and touched so many with his faithful witness throughout his battle.

The Hillegass family has experienced two very different outcomes with these two precious children. I don’t understand why and I don’t believe that I will on this side of heaven. In the middle of my high on Sunday, my heart ached deeply for Alec’s parents because I was acutely aware of the milestones they would never have the opportunity to witness with him. Yet they were there cheering on Hillary.

When we don’t understand, we have to cling to His promises. There are so many that we can lean into during times of uncertainty. Perhaps my favorite is Romans 8:28—

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

So, though we may not understand, we can trust that He will bring good from even the worst of circumstances. There were lives far beyond family members that were impacted by Alec and his faithful witness as he bravely fought back against cancer. He certainly made the most of his dash. I believe Jesus used Alec and his story to change lives for eternity. There is no age limit to which God can use us for His purposes!

In closing, I’d like to return to Hillary for a moment. Obviously, God isn’t done with her yet. If you are reading this, He’s not done with you yet either. There’s still work to be done, lives to be changed, etc. Ask Him what plans He’s got for you today and listen for what that assignment might be. I thought I was going to continue preparations for a new semester today, but God handed me some writing material this morning and here I sit. Be flexible for you never know when those divine interruptions may occur!

I was asked to write a letter to Hillary to be placed in her sorority scrapbook to put a cap on her senior year at Thiel. Well, that was quite a daunting task. Much like my failed first blog attempt last week, I didn’t know where to start or where to end. Eventually, the way I ended it applies to each and every one of us. We each have a unique story based on our life experiences. I have no idea why she’s been through everything that she has, but I do know this—-every single part of her story came with a purpose. I told her that her story has not been wasted. Neither was Alec’s. God uses the circumstances of our lives to mold us and shape us and make us look more like Jesus. Of course, it goes more smoothly if we cooperate! What has God been up to in your life? What is YOUR story? You know, stories were meant to be told. Who needs to hear yours?