Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Write an INSPIRATIONAL or DEVOTIONAL piece (04/26/07)
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TITLE: After the Unspeakable Minute | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jan Ackerson
04/29/07 -
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ADD TO MY FAVORITES
…The doctor and nurse exchange silent glances, and a new mother’s heart squeezes out an anguished no…
…The teenager looks up from her algebra paper to the shadow in the classroom doorway, and a bullet divides her life into before and after…
…The squeal of tires and the shattering of glass interrupt the calm of a suburban neighborhood, and a bicycle’s wheel spins crazily beside its broken rider…
For innumerable moments of countless unbearable days…
…heaven is flooded with cries of the heart: Why? Why? Why?
Perhaps the most painful thing—aside from the shock of the doctor’s verdict, the policeman’s guarded eyes—is the cold comfort of well-meaning Christians.
“God has given you this child because you are so special in His eyes.”
--All I ever wanted to be was ordinary.
“You’re such an inspiration. You’re so brave. You’re so lucky the injury wasn’t worse.”
--I never asked to inspire anybody. And I don’t feel brave, or lucky.
“You’ll be able to counsel grieving people better, because of your loss. It will help you to do your job better.”
--If I could have my child back, I’d flip burgers for the rest of my life.
After my own unspeakable minute, my whys flew heavenward for months. I never got the answer I sought, but here are some truths that I have come to know:
God is holy, and His ways are holy. His motives, therefore, are often unknowable.
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV
Would I have it any other way? How small my God would be, if His every act could be placed in a pretty box and tied up with a tidy ribbon! How little faith would then be required of me!
In response to my why, He answered not because but rather my daughter, I love you. Trust Me.
so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to the children of men.
Lamentations 3:32-33 NIV
God wept when I wept.
My circumstances do not change God’s love for me, so they need not dictate the condition of my spirit.
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV
When I was finally willing to loosen my grasp on why—that prickly cactus—only then was I able to take hold of what God’s hand extended to me: Joy, a shining gem.
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Your last paragraph reminded me of this verse, and of how the idols can even take the shape of our unanswered questions.
Thank you.
That kinda' sums it up for me. I have to leave it in the hands of the Master.
Encouraging article.
My 'whys' flew nonstop after my parents were killed in a car accident. The worst part were the "well meaning Christians." I despised the Christian platitudes.
But, at some point, the two verses that finally got through to me were the verses you've quoted here: Isaiah and Habakuk. And hearing ... "trust me".
I feel like this was written directly to me. And it was written so beautifully. Really nice piece. Thank you.
This piece will surley touch most of us.
That's not the promise He gives us; but rather He promises that He will walk through our sorrows with us, teaching us what true grace is all about. You have captured this whole concept flawlessly.
One of my close friends lost her 12-year-old son last September, and your piece sums up their experience. We all have our why's in life. This piece is truly inspirational in its truth and encouragement. Thank you. Cheri
What does one say when their heart's been touched and tears are flowing? Tears of remembering mingled with tears of joy.
wow. Thank you.
It begs to be read again ... and again.
And congratulations on your very much deserved success with this piece in the challenge. May it be used to comfort many others too.
Thank you
Thank you.
As one who has lost a child, I immediately identified with this excellent piece. It expresses the experience so well.
After my own experience nearly 40 years ago, my advice to those who seek to give comfort is to use hugs, not words.
These words resonate with me profoundly. "My circumstances do not change God’s love for me, so they need not dictate the condition of my spirit."
In one unspeakable moment, something can happen that changes the trajectory of our lives. It is during such painful times we determine to stay the course with God. Or allow our circumstances to take us off course and into the pit of sorrow and despair. Which is exactly is what the enemy intends. Your devotional is a reminder that when what God allows does not make sense to us, it is at these times that only the purpose of God’s will –will make sense.