Why?

Over the last 5 months I have asked God why so many times.

• Why did you take my Grandma away from us?


• Why did you give my Grandpa health problems?


• Why did you take Eddie from us?


• Why did you let Shawn be born with mental retardation?


• Why are you making Shawn (and us) deal with these episodes?


• Why did you take a baby from me that was so wanted but give so many to others?


• Why did you give us these hardships that seem to come all at one time?


• Why don't you bless us beyond measure when we are serving You?


• Why did you make Shawn so sick that he ended up in the hospital?

The list could go on and on but I won't bore you with it. I use to think that when I was asking why I somehow was not showing faith in God. I was somehow faltering in my walk with Him. May 21 was the anniversary of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter's, Maria, death. Focus on the Family was replaying the last day of a 3 day interview with Steven. Him and his family were talking about the accident on Larry King Live. Larry said that people have said they have a "family of great faith so that means they don't have questions" about what happened. Caleb (Steven's son) answered to this. Caleb said that immediately after the accident he screamed why repeatedly. Then he said "the very fact that I immediately, when this happened, said God why, that I have been calling out to God confirms to me that God is the one who I turn to even to ask questions. That God is faithful, theat he can handle those questions."

This made me really think. We are not superhuman. We question things that happen. It is part of our human nature. The important part is who we turn to. Do we turn to God or turn to other things that make us feel better for a little while? Do we rely on God or do we rely on the things of the world when faced with a challenge, when we are asking why. I turn to God but I know I don't let my "whys" rest in Him. Instead I pick them back up and carry them around like 5,000 pounds of stone on my back. They make me weary. God wants me to drop my questions off with Him. He wants me to have faith that He is in control and He will take care of me. There is no easy way to do this, unfortunately. My prayer today is that I as well as all of you are able to turn to God in hard times and when you are questioning and drop your worries and whys off at His feet. After that, I pray, we are able to leave them there, turn around and glorify God in the midst of our troubles.

I encourage you to listen to Steven Curtis Chapman's 3 part interview on Focus on the Family. They are all found on the Focus on the Family website. They are named "The God of All Comfort".

Part 1: http://listen.family.org/daily/A000001488.cfm

Part 2: http://listen.family.org/daily/A000001489.cfm

Part 3: http://listen.family.org/daily/A000001490.cfm

Dear Mr. Hallmark

This was shared on the infertility site I go to, Stepping Stones. I know it is past Mother's Day but I wanted to share it anyway. Although I have no living children and had an early miscarriage I still believe I am a Mom. It is hard to deal with Mother's Day because I want to be a Mom so bad but also because I remember the baby I have that is living in Heaven. Next Mother's Day say a little prayer for those hurting on Mother's Day. They will so appreciate it.

A Mother’s Day Wish From Heaven

Dear Mr. Hallmark,
I am writing to you from heaven, and though it must appear
A rather strange idea, I see everything from here.
I just popped in to visit, your stores to find a card
A card of love for my mother, as this day for her is hard.

There must be some mistake I thought, every card you could imagine
Except I could not find a card, from a child who lives in heaven.
She is still a mother too, no matter where I reside
I had to leave, she understands, but oh the tears she’s cried.

I thought that if I wrote you, that you would come to know
that though I live in heaven now, I still love my mother so.
She talks with me, and dreams with me; we still share laughter too,
Memories our way of speaking now, would you see what you could do?

My mother carries me in her heart, her tears she hides from sight.
She writes poems to honor me, sometimes far into the night
She plants flowers in my garden, there my living memory dwells
She writes to other grieving parents, trying to ease their pain as well.

So you see Mr. Hallmark, though I no longer live on earth
I must find a way, to remind her of her wondrous worth
She needs to be honored, and remembered too
Just as the children of earth will do.

Thank you Mr. Hallmark, I know you’ll do your best
I have done all I can do; to you I’ll leave the rest.
Find a way to tell her, how much she means to me
Until I can do it for myself, when she joins me in eternity.

~ by Jody Seilheimer ~