Sustaining Faith

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21

It's been a while since I posted here so I figured I'd give an update of what's been going on with us since my last post.  It seems like just yesterday that we were in the hospital at Chapel Hill holding our little Selah and praying for a miracle.  At the same time it seems like years since we felt the touch of her soft, perfect skin against ours.  Life has a way of doing that to you I guess, but it's still a strange feeling.  In the meantime, the Lord continues to teach us and help us grow in our faith.

We've been told by some people, all well-intended, that in 10 years we will look back on all of what we've gone through and understand what God was doing through our situation.  I have pondered on this for a while and I don't think that I will understand all this.  And honestly, I'm okay with that.  I'm okay with God knowing all things and me not knowing the half of it.  That leads me to the gift of faith.  I don't mean the kind of faith that brings you salvation...that faith is in Jesus Christ, the son of God.  I have that faith too.  But I'm talking about the kind of faith that says, "I believe in a sovereign Lord who knows what is best for me and my family even if it hurts and even if I never understand it."  This faith says, "Although, I'm walking through the hardest time in my life, I will trust that you will walk with me and carry me when I need it."

This faith sustains us.  It's the main thing that gets us through our tough days, of which there are many.  Our grief is still fresh and is sometimes very overwhelming, but it is getting better little by little.  We joined a GriefShare group and completed a 13-week course that has helped teach us about grief and how to approach it from a biblical perspective.  We got to share our feelings, fears, and frustrations with other people who have had losses in their lives as well.  One thing we have learned is that grief is something that can take over your life, it crashes over you like a tidal wave.  However, we've also learned that Christians should grieve differently than non-believers.  As Christians, we have the Creator of the universe living on the inside of us.  We have the Holy Spirit, the great Comforter, who abides with us forever.

Our greatest hope is the second coming of Jesus Christ because that alone will solve the world of its brokenness.  That alone will save the world from the heartbreak of losing a child, the horrors of experiencing divorce, and tragedy of watching others suffer.  God didn't create this world to have any of that in it, but since the fall of man the world has been full of sin and has been broken.

I now understand what Paul meant when he penned his letter to the church at Philippi.  For years we have turned Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength," into a great verse to put on sports t-shirts or quote in the high school yearbook, but I'm afraid many have missed the intent of what Paul was trying to convey here.  In the verses before verse 13 he says, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength."

When you read this verse in the proper context, it takes on a whole new meaning.  Paul had experienced the life of plenty and the life of want.  He had traveled with other believers preaching the gospel and he had slept on cold, dark prison floors.  But Paul found his strength to endure all sufferings through Jesus Christ.  See, earthly things could not touch Paul.  If he lived?  "To live is Christ."  If you killed him?  "To die is gain."  I have a more in depth understanding of these verses after our experiences over the last year.  I hope to be better at being more content no matter the circumstances, but suffice it to say, Philippians 4:13 is about much more than hitting home runs and making 15-foot jumpers.  

In closing this post, we'd love to have your help in remembering Selah.  We think that we've come up with a way to "take" Selah to different places around the state, the country, maybe even the world.  We would love for those who read and/or follow our blog to spell Selah's name out with different objects and take a picture and send it to us along with the location the picture was taken.  The picture above is an example of what we are looking for in this project.  In it, we spelled out her name using coffee mugs in a shop in Charleston, South Carolina, which is where we visited a few weeks after her passing.  You could spell her name out in the sand at the beach or spell it with rocks in the mountains.  Be as creative as you would like and send us a picture.  We would love to turn this into a memory wall with all of the pictures we receive and who knows...maybe we could turn it into a coffee table book if we get enough.

You can email your pictures to: jasonbennett10@gmail.com or brit_tany2@hotmail.com .  We would really appreciate your help in this project.  It will be a wonderful way for us to keep Selah's memory alive.  Until next time...shalom!