By Doug Creamer
Celebrating and Struggling
I hope you had some good food and some great fellowship over the 4th of July weekend. It is a special time to gather together and celebrate our great nation. It is good to slow down and connect with those who mean so much to us.
Our family gathered at my brother’s house, where you don’t have to be family to come and enjoy. One thing that came to mind while I was enjoying our gathering was that some of our family wasn’t present. I am not talking about those who live long distances away who were unable to travel and join the festivities. I was thinking about those who are no longer with us.
Holidays are great gathering times. We get to be together and enjoy eating great food. It can be difficult to know the family is gathering but some will not be there. We miss those who have gone ahead. There is a little hole in our hearts as we celebrate each holiday. It should remind us to hug those we have a little tighter and cause us to be more present with those who are still with us. We don’t know the future so we need to learn to appreciate the present and the gift that each person is to our gatherings.
I wrote a column recently about celebrating good news from people who had successful surgeries. A reader wrote to remind me that not everyone has successful surgeries or receives healing. She wanted me to acknowledge that even if we bathe people in prayer, sometimes things do not turn out the way we are hoping. She is correct. Some who seek healing from God may end up facing long surgeries and painful recoveries. Others may not survive even though many have prayed for them.
Through the difficulties and challenges we have to understand that God is sovereign and that He can do the amazing and the miraculous. Sometimes He chooses not to do it and that is something that we don’t understand. I believe sometimes God chooses to walk with us through the trials and difficulties. I think His reason is that He wants to reveal more of Himself to us. We know and understand so little about our infinite God.
I also believe when things are going great in life very few of us seek to know God better. We don’t NEED Him because at the moment we can make it through the challenges we face without His help. It seems like it takes something big to make us realize that we really do need Him. If we experience the miraculous we will celebrate and then often return to depending on ourselves. We will often not press in to know Him in a deeper way.
I have learned through many dark and difficult times in my life that faith in God and trusting in Him has been the only thing that has helped me make it through. Sometimes I feel His presence strongly. Other times God has sent me a good friend who has stood with me and helped me back to my feet. These friends have spoken words of life and hope and given me the courage to keep moving forward. Someone put it to me this way once. We must have God to make it through the dark and difficult times in life but sometimes we need someone with skin to help and hold us.
I think when it comes to praying for healing, we have to determine no matter what the outcome, we land on Jesus. If He heals, praise God! If He doesn’t heal, praise God! This will ultimately teach us to live in the moment, to love and appreciate each other deeply. We will learn to express our love and appreciation for each other. We will understand that tomorrow is not guaranteed and that we need to learn to live in the moment.
I want to encourage you to trust God in every situation. No matter what the outcome, God is in control and He has His eye on you. He has not forgotten you. He is present with you as you walk through the challenges and difficulties. He wants you to know Him in a deeper and more profound way. Some things in life are tragic and leave us broken, but He is a God who tenderly and patiently puts the pieces of our lives back together. We each play an important role in this process. Our job is to love, care for, sit with, listen, try to understand, be compassionate, and to help the person take steps to move forward. In that way we become His hands and His feet.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
