The “Enoughness” of God
It’s been a few years. Nineteen, to be exact. On December 6th, 2002, most all of the population went about their lives in the usual way, wondering if there were still any Thanksgiving leftovers, putting up Christmas lights, and all the other early-December things people do.
For me, it was a life-pivoting day. For family and friends, it was a day to absorb the loss of a sister, daughter, cousin, aunt, or friend.
My wife of 27 years, and mother of our two kids, lost her fight with leukemia just three months after being diagnosed. She went to be with Jesus, where her future was secure, and her worries were gone. I, on the other hand, had a few concerns about my immediate future.
Death is something we don’t normally welcome into our lives.
It truncates relationships that were assumed to be lifelong.
It stops dreams and plans without mercy.
It can cloud our future, and can erode our hope.
It causes the kind of grief that washes over us in waves, pounding us until we feel emotionally empty.
The death of a loved one causes tremendous upheaval, and often results in significant change.
As trite as it may sound, God is alway enough. Enough to salve the wound. Enough to clear the fog. Enough for each day. Nineteen years later, I am still sorting out questions that simply don’t have the kind of answers that satisfy the soul on this side of eternity. Here is what I do know:
Barb is in the presence of the Lord Jesus, experiencing things none of us have yet experienced. One day, the separation caused by death will be reversed. “together with them… to meet the Lord… And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17
The Lord does not owe us a complete explanation regarding what He allows in each of our lives. “Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.” Ecclesiastes 7:13-14
God will meet our needs, even on the darkest of days. The chorus of the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” says “All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.” That’s not a Scriptural quote, but it’s spot on. He not only provides, He goes beyond.
Another December 6th. Another boatload of memories. Another reminder that “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21
Nineteen years. He has been, is, and will be enough.
