What do we do when things don’t go like we pray?
Or what about when our dreams come crashing down?
Or the things we are hoping for don’t happen?
Or when life presents challenges we never expected?
Or we get into a situation that we need escaping from?
We all have times when life just gets really confusing.
It can even become truly scary.
And sometimes we wonder.
Where are you God?
Recently I was spending some time with a precious friend.
She has had to deal with a difficult situation.
The situation would make anyone anxious.
But in talking to her, I was able to share the same
thoughts I have to remind myself of from time to time.
I questioned her,
“What’s in your Memorial Box?”
She paused, reflecting,
“You’re right. You are so right.”
Yes, she and her family have a Memorial Box sitting in their living room.
And in it are the visual reminders of the enormous faithfulness of God.
Even though their situation could prompt anxiety,
in their Memorial Box is a poignant reminder of the outcome of this very situation.
In the craziest twist of God events, the Lord had given them the item
for their Memorial Box long before the situation had even presented itself.
Seriously, how God provided the little item in their box is probably one of the most
remarkable miracles I’ve ever seen…
{and I so wish I could share it}
but it’s their story,
not mine.
My joy in pointing her back to that little item,
miraculously given by God to serve as a reminder
of His faithfulness long before the miracle even happened,
solidifies the faithfulness of God like nothing else.
Here’s my 2 cents {for free}:
If I knew that I would not be long on this earth and was
asked what I would share, if given one last chance,
I would urge every single person I know or had opportunity to speak with
to begin a Memorial Box.
Whether single or married…
it doesn’t matter.
God has been faithful to each of us.
His name is worthy of praise.
He will continue to be faithful.
The things in each of our Memorial boxes
{or something similar to one}
will be what the Lord will use to remind us when
suddenly life throws us a curve ball.
There is no circumstance in life that His powerful arm is unable to reach.
He is always at work to
rescue,
heal,
provide for,
protect,
shelter,
strengthen,
encourage,
and anything in between.
God instructed the Israelites to build a memorial of stones
to remind them of the desperate
circumstances that God had rescued them from.
He encouraged them that each time they saw the
Memorial Stones piled, they were to tell their children,
over and over the same story to
remind their children about what He had done.
It didn’t matter what situation arose,
they could always point to that pile of stones and say,
“He rescued us there. He will rescue us now.”
And yes, He is the same
yesterday
today
and
forever.
He has been faithful in the past.
He will be faithful today.
And
He will be faithful tomorrow.
Cling to His past faithfulness
and remember
that although much in life changes,
He never, ever, ever does.
“For what you have done I will always praise you in the
presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.“
Psalm 52:9
Praise be to GOD for HIS FAITHFULNESS, even in our pain. We know HE is soverign.
He is so faithful. For me, I have to have my Memorial Box…because otherwise fear and panic are capable of setting in quickly!
Reminds me of "Plan B" by pete wilson. Your words spoke to this mama's heart this morning. <3
Never heard of Plan B…but thankful that whatever the "plan" He is already there! Bless you my friend!
We have a Book of Thanksgiving each family member writes in at least once a year and is read at family holiday gatherings. We go back to the books beginning and read them all! It is amazing what making "stones of remembrance" does for our family's faith!
What a nice way to remember! Thank you for sharing, maybe others will use this idea…
Wow! These are the exact words I needed to read this morning as I entered the ninth month of a lack of full-time employment. Thank you. My "memorial box" didn't start out as one. It is an old steamer trunk given to me by my dear, now departed great-grandmother. It is filled with letters and cards from family and friends, pictures, a corn husk doll from my grandma, journals from the time I was 9 years old, the cast from my broken arm when I was 11, and a bunch of other memories. The journals are such a blessing because I am able to read my history from the time I was a little kid. I'm 25, and still journaling at least once a week. It is fun to see how my handwriting and spelling improved throughout the years. Some of the journal entries are painful to read. They take me back to times of deep anger, sorrow, anxiety, and confusion. But, they serve as reminders that the Lord has been with me every step of the way, and will continue to guide my steps.
Blessings,
Holly
What a wonderful treasure box you have – I love it…and I pray that God brings you a job that shows His ever abiding love for you!
I can think of many items that would be in my Memorial Box… and I guess that means it is time to start one! For me. For my husband. For our children here and on there way here from Uganda. 🙂 Thank you for this post. So glad the Motes sent me a link to your blog! apeculiarfamily.blogspot.com
Definitely you need to start one!! And I also am thankful that the Motes sent you the link to our Place Called Simplicity. PS I like your blog name. =)
I can't remember if I wrote this story in a comment, but I'm pretty certain I shared about how we received some bad news about some income owed us on our anniversary. We chose to go celebrate our special day anyway, and God provided our meal unexpectedly for free through the kindness of a neighbor who happened to be at the same restaurant.
You know what's so fun? This past week, I said goodbye to a dear friend. I'd been caring for her son until they moved to another province. She gave us a parting gift that was very generous. The very next day, another dear friend, this time from childhood, sent us a card with another gift in it. She wrote that she just felt God prompt her to give us a gift. Those two amounts together are the EXACT amount my husband lost out on earlier in the spring. And they will cover the costs of several repairs our family vehicle needs when combined with what I've already saved of my earnings from gardening for the aforementioned neighbor.
God is so faithful. Over and over and over again. Our glorious privilege is to tell His story and how He writes His story in our lives.
And when we are faithful to do that, He even honors us back. How crazy fun is that?! My grandparents served as volunteers and on the board of a nursing home run by their denomination. They used to take me when I was little to help volunteer. My grandpa is now an invalid in another care home with not much time left this side of eternity. And you know what? The people at the nursing home where they served for so long are faithful to make the hour long drive to visit him and my grandma each month or so. I see God's faithfulness to keep His promise that "he who waters will himself be watered" in that story.
If this world were full of memorial boxes, there would still be not enough room to contain the whole of His faithfulness to us. Even in those moments when He doesn't take away the pain or the need in the way we'd like, He is still so very faithful to walk us through it. And He faithfully holds us all the way through to the other side of eternity.
As I sit here in the wee hours of my 39th birthday (quite sick with respiratory stuff in fact, which is why I'm still up), I am just in awe of the way He has ordered all of our steps and the way He has let us know at each crucial turn that He is walking right with us.
I think it is so important to record the ways that God works in our lives so that we can look back and see what He has done. I haven't started my memorial box yet. I love the idea, but it hasn't happened yet. However, I read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp a year and a half ago. Megan Camp, my sister, encouraged me to do so. That book so filled with encouraging one to seek the gifts that God gave us and to name them. I was inspired and began recording each gift, big and small, in a journal that Megan gave me. I just started on my second journal and have written down 1600 gifts from God. It is amazing to go back through and read about what He has done for us. I look forward to sharing these with my little girls as they grow.