The Back Page
By Sue Ferguson
Life is hard. The beginning of another month as time marches on finds my family in a hard season. Since I share my heart with you all every month and people tell me they appreciate that, I will continue to do so. In my 52nd year of life, one thing I have learned is that as we get older we become more aware that life is a journey of ups and downs like the waves that roll into the shores of Lake Erie. Sometimes the water is beautiful and clear and we jump in and celebrate. Other times the strong east wind brings in the seaweed and the muck and we don't want to go anywhere near the beach.
We find ourselves right in the middle of that muck at the moment, but I know things will be ok. We are so lucky as Christians to know that we always have Jesus, and we need to lean into Him during the hard times. I am ever grateful for my family and friends and our Church family too.
People are amazing. At Riversyde this week one of our regular guests called me out to give me a little box of brownies. We had talked about our love of chocolate earlier in the week, and not knowing anything about how my week was going, she wanted to give me the treats to “brighten my day”. I was a little teary and overwhelmed. Never underestimate how a random act of kindness can be a game changer for someone.
I won't get into the details of our challenges, but I do know that everything will be ok. I don't write about this to draw attention, but to demonstrate that we all have times of hardship that set us back, and if you are finding yourself in a storm right now, you are not alone.
My friend Amy Bennett from Colorado recently sent me a song that reminded her of me when we went through the passing of my late husband George. It is called “God Didn't Let me Break” by A.A. Mengstu. One of the verses reads “So if you're tired, if you're hurting, if you feel like life's trying to tear you apart, hold on. Because the same God who kept me, can keep you too.”
“God didn't let me break.” He never ever leaves us, and He is holding us closely in our time of need and in our celebrations.
I know that this too shall pass, we will look back on it like a distant memory, and we will all come out stronger. Whatever you are going through I urge you to lean into the holy spirit and lean on your friends and family.
One day we will all be healed and reunited with our loved ones and families. There will be no more hurt, no more pain, no more suffering. Thanks be to God.
