Through It All
I knew a day would come when the Lord would give me words that are impossible to hold back. I write everyday (nearly every day) in my journal, but no one sees it. I share when I am prompted by the Holy Spirit to share what God has spoken to me.
I hear from the Lord on a daily basis. Sometimes the movement of God in my life is almost too much for me to handle and comprehend. Hearing from God daily was catapulted in my life when I started reading again "The Prayer of Jabez". I laid down my day, every part of it, and started praying over my children by name and for my husband and my marriage and my family across the country.
I lost my precious daddy in March this year, and I needed a bigger God. My dependency on the Lord became very serious because grieving the loss of my dad and the trauma through the tragedy my sister and I experienced were too much to handle. This kind of grief honestly can not be described in words. Unless you have experienced it, then you have no idea. The night I returned from spending last hours with my daddy, hospice called as I pulled into my driveway. "Hi Keri, we wanted to let you know that your father passed very peacefully and we did not even have to give him anything to help him let go." HEAVY! Wow. I prayed for mercy but at the same time his body was gone forever to never hug me again or celebrate another birthday (we share the same birthday) again. And this friends, these moments, is when my dependence on my faith got real! I have walked with the Lord since I was 9 years old. Through every mistake, milestone, and measure of my steps I have focused on God's word and His promises.
As soon as I hung up the phone, my car slowly approaching my driveway, Pandora streams the song, "It Is Well: Through It All" by Bethel Music. The quiet voice sings, "Through It All, Through It All, My Eyes Are On You"... The Lord was sending me a love note in the toughest moment of my life. He said, "Keri, I have been here watching you the whole time. My Eyes are on you. I see you. Your pain matters to me. And my Word is still true. My Word, through it all, never changes. My presence is always Here and never goes away". I stopped at the top of my driveway and watched my husband walk out to greet me with his arms wide open. Another expression of God. Arms wide open. Through it all.
So, I know what grief is like. And I can say with confidence and comfort and strength that He is there Through It All. I know what sin is like. I have made MAJOR mistakes in life. As a wife, as a sister, as a person, and a professional. I have loved, and I have lost. I have had success, and I have had failures. My character and reputation have been pedastal "ed" and pummel "ed". I have had supernatural rejoicing and super killer rejection. I have served others through recovery, and watched people I love relapse. And Through It All, His Presence has seen me through. My life is a tapestry of How His Presence Covers it ALL!
Many of you know our area experienced a school shooting a few days ago. On top of this Hurricane Matthew. I have many that I dearly love affected by these circumstances. And on top of it all, a political election that people are feeling hopeless over.
So on this crispy Autumn morning, as I sit in my pajamas with my cup of joe, and my Bible, I asked the Lord for strength from His Word. And His Answer?
"In Him, all things hold together" Colossians 2:17
How beautiful is that! How do I keep going when my physical being would rather sit in my closet and drink a beer and turn off the lights and pretend its not happening? How do I keep going when my dad's favorite song comes on and I really need to talk to him about my life and whats going on? How do we keep going when our health care and government are so out of control? How do we keep going when a loved one is going to rehab and has hit rock bottom? There is only one way and one answer. You see, all of us are made with a physical capacity. We are all bit limited in human power. And because every single one of us will experience grief, loss, and suffering beyond what our human power can fix, there is one reality that remains. We have to have HOPE - and hope in ourselves decays, withers like the flowers, and dissolves. Hope in any material power or wealth does not satisfy when your money has no power to fix the heart. When you are sitting with your dying loved one stricken with cancer there is NO THING, no money and no position and no person that can fix your grief or your loss. When you watch someone crash that has no where to go and can not function, your things of this world offer no comfort. A very powerful man asked me years ago, "Keri, why do I need Jesus. I am perfectly happy with my life the way it is". Fast forward ten years later, and his family has suffered sudden death of loved ones and children that are struggling with addiction. My answer now is, "Because you need the Hope of His Glory. You need the promise that In Him all things hold together. You need the promise and confidence that the energy of Christ is powerfully working in us. Col 1:28 - and through this relationship we receive strength, endurance, patience, and above all, THROUGH IT ALL - J O Y~!~~~!!!!!!
And because of His Promise and Presence, He is completing the work in my life. A Saviour and Hope that is bigger than my mistakes, bigger than my strength, bigger than my greatest achievement, and greater than my pain.
Friends, be encouraged today in God's word - the anchor holds - "In Him ALL THINGS hold together". Cling to this no matter what you are going through and just ask for strength for the next step.
Here is the song that has meant so much to me this year:
It Is Well - Kristene DiMarco & Bethel Music - You Make Me Brave
https://youtu.be/YNqo4Un2uZI
If you need prayer, please e-mail me at keri@unsworthmarketing.com
I hear from the Lord on a daily basis. Sometimes the movement of God in my life is almost too much for me to handle and comprehend. Hearing from God daily was catapulted in my life when I started reading again "The Prayer of Jabez". I laid down my day, every part of it, and started praying over my children by name and for my husband and my marriage and my family across the country.
I lost my precious daddy in March this year, and I needed a bigger God. My dependency on the Lord became very serious because grieving the loss of my dad and the trauma through the tragedy my sister and I experienced were too much to handle. This kind of grief honestly can not be described in words. Unless you have experienced it, then you have no idea. The night I returned from spending last hours with my daddy, hospice called as I pulled into my driveway. "Hi Keri, we wanted to let you know that your father passed very peacefully and we did not even have to give him anything to help him let go." HEAVY! Wow. I prayed for mercy but at the same time his body was gone forever to never hug me again or celebrate another birthday (we share the same birthday) again. And this friends, these moments, is when my dependence on my faith got real! I have walked with the Lord since I was 9 years old. Through every mistake, milestone, and measure of my steps I have focused on God's word and His promises.
As soon as I hung up the phone, my car slowly approaching my driveway, Pandora streams the song, "It Is Well: Through It All" by Bethel Music. The quiet voice sings, "Through It All, Through It All, My Eyes Are On You"... The Lord was sending me a love note in the toughest moment of my life. He said, "Keri, I have been here watching you the whole time. My Eyes are on you. I see you. Your pain matters to me. And my Word is still true. My Word, through it all, never changes. My presence is always Here and never goes away". I stopped at the top of my driveway and watched my husband walk out to greet me with his arms wide open. Another expression of God. Arms wide open. Through it all.
So, I know what grief is like. And I can say with confidence and comfort and strength that He is there Through It All. I know what sin is like. I have made MAJOR mistakes in life. As a wife, as a sister, as a person, and a professional. I have loved, and I have lost. I have had success, and I have had failures. My character and reputation have been pedastal "ed" and pummel "ed". I have had supernatural rejoicing and super killer rejection. I have served others through recovery, and watched people I love relapse. And Through It All, His Presence has seen me through. My life is a tapestry of How His Presence Covers it ALL!
Many of you know our area experienced a school shooting a few days ago. On top of this Hurricane Matthew. I have many that I dearly love affected by these circumstances. And on top of it all, a political election that people are feeling hopeless over.
So on this crispy Autumn morning, as I sit in my pajamas with my cup of joe, and my Bible, I asked the Lord for strength from His Word. And His Answer?
"In Him, all things hold together" Colossians 2:17
How beautiful is that! How do I keep going when my physical being would rather sit in my closet and drink a beer and turn off the lights and pretend its not happening? How do I keep going when my dad's favorite song comes on and I really need to talk to him about my life and whats going on? How do we keep going when our health care and government are so out of control? How do we keep going when a loved one is going to rehab and has hit rock bottom? There is only one way and one answer. You see, all of us are made with a physical capacity. We are all bit limited in human power. And because every single one of us will experience grief, loss, and suffering beyond what our human power can fix, there is one reality that remains. We have to have HOPE - and hope in ourselves decays, withers like the flowers, and dissolves. Hope in any material power or wealth does not satisfy when your money has no power to fix the heart. When you are sitting with your dying loved one stricken with cancer there is NO THING, no money and no position and no person that can fix your grief or your loss. When you watch someone crash that has no where to go and can not function, your things of this world offer no comfort. A very powerful man asked me years ago, "Keri, why do I need Jesus. I am perfectly happy with my life the way it is". Fast forward ten years later, and his family has suffered sudden death of loved ones and children that are struggling with addiction. My answer now is, "Because you need the Hope of His Glory. You need the promise that In Him all things hold together. You need the promise and confidence that the energy of Christ is powerfully working in us. Col 1:28 - and through this relationship we receive strength, endurance, patience, and above all, THROUGH IT ALL - J O Y~!~~~!!!!!!
And because of His Promise and Presence, He is completing the work in my life. A Saviour and Hope that is bigger than my mistakes, bigger than my strength, bigger than my greatest achievement, and greater than my pain.
Friends, be encouraged today in God's word - the anchor holds - "In Him ALL THINGS hold together". Cling to this no matter what you are going through and just ask for strength for the next step.
Here is the song that has meant so much to me this year:
It Is Well - Kristene DiMarco & Bethel Music - You Make Me Brave
https://youtu.be/YNqo4Un2uZI
If you need prayer, please e-mail me at keri@unsworthmarketing.com
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