John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
I was raised in a Christian home by parents who had a strong faith. I saw them live this faith on a daily basis. I attended church every Sunday until the day I was married. That was the last day my husband and I entered a church. We both chose to walk away. We decided to turn to the world and what it had to offer. We thought at the age of twenty-one that we knew better than what our parents’ belief had offered us. There was always one area of this new belief I was accepting that troubled me, the death thing. I remember a song written by Jackson Browne that summed up my new belief. The words went like this: “I don’t know what happens when people die, can’t seem to grasp it as hard as I try.” It’s like a song I can hear playing right in my ear, that I can’t sing, but I can’t help listening. This new belief I chose offered me little comfort and no hope. I proceeded to live in this place for well into my early forties. It wasn’t until I found myself in one of the darkest times of my life (or so I thought) that I reached back to the faith of my parents. The difference this time was that it became my faith.
My faith saved me from my darkest moments and helped me cope when my world really tumbled down around me. I am so thankful that when my daughter died, I had given my life to the Lord. I can only imagine the dark place I would have found myself in with my worldly belief. The song in my ear would have been one of hopelessness and despair. Instead, I have a song of the love of a Savior, forgiveness for my shortcomings, and a future and a hope with my daughter for all eternity.
Lord, what a sweet sound in our ear Your love creates.
– Michele
