Encouragement in the midst of it

Yesterday morning my son and I were supposed to have a play-date with a friend and her two toddlers. She has been going through some rough stuff, and is trying to get to know other people in the church, especially those with kids similar in age to hers. We have been trying to set this up for months. But when I woke up in the morning, I was thinking about Phillip and the S family (see previous post) and really didn’t feel like doing anything but chores. Then I checked my blogs and found this one by my friend Amelia. (If you read it, I’m one of the friends she mentions! Thanks again, Amelia for your encouragement even in the midst of your rough times. You're a great friend!) It was a good kick in the pants reminder that when you’re down, one of the best things to do is to get your eyes off of yourself and go help someone else. With that in mind, we headed over to my friend’s house for the play-date, and do you know what? It really helped. I think that we were both an encouragement to each other. I know the kids had a blast. My son got so worn out, that he fell asleep in the car on the way home even though we left an hour before his normal nap time!

Speaking of the S family, it has been encouraging to me to watch the outpouring of support given to them over the past few days. Thank you so much to those of you who have been praying. Last night was the viewing. Hubby and I traded child-care with some friends – we watched their daughter while they went, then they watched our son while we went. By the time we got there, the line to say something to the family wrapped around the sanctuary and out the front door. It took over an hour to get through. I was also reminded of what an impact a person has on so many people. While our church was well represented, we only made up 20 – 25% of the people there. There were so many whose faces I didn’t recognize. The family has had people to keep them company and help them with daily needs and decisions pretty much 24/7 since it happened. One person told me that they counted just the 2 liters of soda that had been dropped off and there were 57! Other people have brought mega-boxes of cereal, huge trays of lunchmeat and cheese, tons of bread, and hot meals. Someone even brought an extra refrigerator that they plugged in on the porch to hold all the food! Our church has set up a rotation to provide meals 3 times a week at least through the end of the month and probably beyond that. I think that the family, while obviously struggling, feels the love and support. It’s a small thing, but yesterday hubby went and bought a fishing license so he can take the boys fishing in a couple weeks. His career has been pretty demanding lately, so he hadn’t even bought a fishing license this year, but he knew that was one small way he could reach out to Phillip’s sons. I know they’ll need some good male interaction time, and fishing has always been a great time of that for hubby.

This morning as we prepare to go to the funeral, I am reminded of 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 14 that says that we do not “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” Last night there was talk of looking forward to Jesus’s return and our reunion with all those who have gone before us. We know that Phillip is rejoicing with Jesus now, so while we aren’t sad for him, but we do miss him, and recognize the hole that his passing leaves. We look expectantly to God for how he will fill that hole, for he promises to meet all the needs of his children. (Philippians 4:19) Thanks again for everyone who has been thinking of and praying for us and Phillip’s family.