My beginning era as a widow is teaching me lessons on life. God has made it clear that my new role as a single is not to be spent in gloom and doom. I am to grieve but also to consider carefully how and where I can serve Him best. In spite of my introverted nature, I am finding more boldness in sharing the story God has given me surrounding my husband’s passing and His support during the last few months.
The truth is that the Lord prepared me in a special way for my husband’s going home to Jesus. From a recent retreat experience, I learned that I needed to surrender instead of trying to control the outcome of my mate’s time here on earth. The verse I received there from Matthew 28:11 is now my life motto as well as being permanently inscribed on our tombstone:
“Come unto me. . . and I will give you rest.”
As I face a future as a single, I know I can rely on the Lord to guide and direct me. This leads to the second “T” of trust. Just today, I read in “Jesus Calling” the perfect direction for my relationship of trust:
Every time you affirm your trust in me, you put a coin into My treasury. Thus you build up equity in preparation for days of trouble. I keep safely in my heart all trust invested in Me, with interest compounded continuously. The more you trust Me, the more I empower you to do so.
Practice trusting Me during quiet days, when nothing much seems to be happening. Then when storms come, your trust balance will be sufficient to see you through. “Store up for yourself treasure in heaven,” through placing your trust in Me. This practice will keep you in My Peace.
The Lord had answered my prayer to let my husband know of my children’s and my presence at his home-going by allowing him to focus his gaze on each of us while we expressed our love for him. My thanksgiving for this experience overwhelmed me and I determined that I would be thankful for each blessing. My way of manifesting such gratitude was to write thank you letters to each doctor, nurse, family member and friend who had supported my husband or me during this time. I found that an attitude of thankfulness goes a long way toward casting out fear, bitterness, or self-pity.
With these three “T’s” in place, I want to walk into my future with a plan to invest my time in relationships with family, friends, and neighbors. In this way, I hope to serve my Lord and honor the memory of my husband.
Dianna
Sharing the Fruit of Maturity
