Processing.... Part 4

The sense of love and belonging was strong that morning at the graveside, and throughout the day and night. I did not want the feeling to evaporate. Interestingly enough, God had already begun a plan to strengthen our connections.  Back in November, after communicating with several family members via blogging, Facebook, and email, I asked if anyone would be interested in participating in a family book club. Much to my surprise, everyone had some level of interest. As more of us were together for the memorial service, I asked each female family member. Again, much to my surprise, the response was overwhelmingly favorable. With that, we had a plan. A plan that goes far beyond our human expectations, and our abilities to create.

While the above plan is intended for the female family members, God also revealed to me how He working among the whole family. Another cousin, Brian, shared with me how he and his wife, Maggie, are re-connecting with the cousins, aunts, and uncles. They are really enjoying the new found, adult friendships. Chad and Becca shared their desire to carry on the family mission to pray for one another - a mission that my grandpa initiated. They, too, felt energized by Grandpa's memorial service.

The work of God within me that I have been processing for the last month is this: Building adult relationships with my cousins, aunts, and uncles, and ministering to our common need for familial connections is eternally valuable. God made it clear to me - I need to focus on these relationships. Over the years, while living so far from family, I thought that I did not need the connections. My view is changing now, and I am excited! God continues to open doors of connections among us. As I process this new purpose, I feel my heart filling with Godly contentment - a mysterious phenomenon that I have been lacking in recent months.

The significance of this journey continues to play out in the details of my life. There are a few items that I can not share at this point in time. I can testify to a great, renewed sense of urgency in pursuing the knowledge of God, and His plan for my life. His power to impact people is beyond my human ability to plan and understand. I am in awe of God! Saying "Yes!" to God is an exciting ride.

There is no solid ending to this mini-series entitled, "Processing...." It is an ongoing personal journey. My prayer is that by sharing aspects of this walk with God, others will be encouraged to pursue Him with expectancy.

Ecclesiastes 3 (New Living Translation)

A Time for Everything

 ¹ For everything there is a season,
      a time for every activity under heaven.
 ² A time to be born and a time to die.
      A time to plant and a time to harvest.
 ³ A time to kill and a time to heal.
      A time to tear down and a time to build up.
 ⁴ A time to cry and a time to laugh.
      A time to grieve and a time to dance.
 ⁵ A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
      A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
 ⁶ A time to search and a time to quit searching.
      A time to keep and a time to throw away.
 ⁷ A time to tear and a time to mend.
      A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
 ⁸ A time to love and a time to hate.
      A time for war and a time for peace.

 ⁹ What do people really get for all their hard work? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. ¹¹¹² So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. ¹³ And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

 ¹⁴ And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. ¹⁵ What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.