MOPS Moments: Eyes to See Sorrow

At Monday's MOPS meeting, our topic was "Eyes to See Sorrow." And while it may have been a heavy topic, the spirit in the room was so sweet and Jesus' presence was felt. I am so thankful to have the promise of His presence in the midst of sorrowful times.

In our devotional, the author described how music is often an encouragement to her during sorrowful times. As I read those words, I really identified with this concept. I've loved music from as early as I can remember - I love to sing, play instruments...it has always been a part of my life. A few years ago, though, I realized that God has often given me a song to hang on to during harder times to point me back to Him.

I remember this first happening while in college. A friend of mine, who knows the truth, decided to live her life her own way, instead of God's. It hit me really hard. It frustrated me and hurt me deeply. But one of the popular songs of the day was "Mighty to Save" - Even to this day, when I sing those words, I pray for friends that need to turn back to Christ.

Everyone needs compassion

A love that's never failing...

Savior, He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save...

He rose and conquered the grave

And when I remember that He conquered the grave, I know that He definitely has the power to change lives. 

When my Hudson was born unexpectedly at 33 weeks, my family was scared. (Part 1 and Part 2 of the story) I still have no memory of those days. And we weren't sure what the future held.

 But as I came back to being myself, I remember clinging to the words of the song "Our God is greater!" 

Our God is greater

Our God is stronger

God, you are higher than any other

Our God is Healer 

Awesome in power

Our God, Our God

And He was and is greater than anything we experienced during that scary time. He healed me. He was stronger than we were. And even if things hadn't turned out perfectly, we knew that Our God was greater! 

A few years ago, I lost my Nanny rather suddenly. It wasn't fair and it didn't make sense. She was the life of the party. She was so much fun. She loved any chance to get with her family or talk about her family. She spent her entire week preparing for church on Sunday. 

She had been in a deep sleep for several days, and Hudson was awake one night around midnight. As I rocked him, I prayed for Nanny. The familiar words of "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus" began to pour out of my mouth. A few minutes later, my dad called to tell me that Nanny was with Jesus. My mom and her brother had been singing to her "This is the day that the Lord hath made" when she opened her eyes and then went to Heaven. 

The next day was Sunday, and as we sang the song "Bless the Lord O my Soul" at church. it seemed to be so fitting for my Nanny. 

And on that day when my strength is failing

the end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing your praise unending

ten thousand years and then forevermore

Although the Lord may not use music in your times of sorrow like He does for me, He knows what you need. He may use encouraging friends, Scripture, nature, etc to minister to you. Regardless of the avenue, it reveals that He is near. It doesn't make the hard times go away, but it reminds me that I am not alone in the midst of them. 

"For the Lord your God is with you

He is mighty to save

He will take great delight in you

He will quiet you with His love

He will rejoice over you with singing."

Zephaniah 3:17

Our speaker for the day shared her heart so sweetly with us. I love that she pointed us back to the Word of God during hard times. And I love that she encouraged us to spend time in the Word now so that we are equipped when the hard times hit. "Time in the Word is never wasted." Here are her notes. 

I am so glad that the Lord knows us. He knows when we are hurting and He knows what we need. 

"Every trial becomes a platform." Kay Arthur

I Want to Be Like my Nanny

I recently had to say goodbye to a very important person - my Nanny.

Some days, I want to think that I can still call her.  She'd say "How's little Hud?" I want to pretend she will call me the morning of my birthday. I want to keep her hot dog chili in my freezer forever and call her when I make her potato salad. She loved her white pants - and I think of her each time I wear mine. She loved Chick-fila (but called it "Chicken-fila"). She loved life.

Some people aren't close with their grandparents. They see them at holidays and get their annual pinch on the cheek. Amy and I, however, grew up extremely close to all our grandparents. Regular phone calls, cards in the mail, visits...We are so blessed and will treasure each and every moment spent with our grandparents.

My Nanny was super fun - she would sing this silly little song to Hudson about a chocolate ice cream cone. I still tear up when I hear it.

She loved to joke, be sarcastic, and decorate for every holiday. The last time I visited her house, she danced around the living room with Hudson. She could still "flat-foot" (that's a type of dance, for those of you who don't know). She would do fun little cheers from her cheerleading days. And she could always make me laugh.

She loved the little things in life. A phone call meant the world to her, especially if she could hear some Hudson gibberish. She loved mail - I could expect a card for every holiday: Valentine's Day, Easter, you name it! Pictures were proudly displayed of all her granddaughters and great grand-kids. I am so thankful I made her a photo book just about a month before she went to be with Jesus.

She was proud of her family. As I mentioned above, she loved pictures. The walls of her home and sides of her refrigerator were covered in photos of us at various ages. The coffee table always held several photo albums. She carried pictures of us with her everywhere and showed everyone she came in contact with. I hear that even at a license check one time, she told the officer she would show him her drivers license after her looked at the pictures of her grand-kids. As I stood in that receiving line at the viewing, so many people said, "I've never met you- but I feel like I know you. Your Nanny always kept us updated on your life."

Nanny loved her church. At her memorial service, the pastor described her so well. He said, "Most people spend the week trying to come up with excuses why they won't be able to make it to church. But Agnes would spend the week preparing for church." She got her hair done every Friday and ironed her clothes on Saturday. Her Bible was full of colorful bookmarks, pictures, and notes.

She didn't love clutter. Her house was always in order, even though she would claim that it was not. She never had dirty dishes in her sink (which is why I'm trying to empty my sink each night before I go to bed now). Drawers were organized. Floors were swept. And she was always ready to put the Christmas tree away as soon as we had opened gifts.

Another part of her daily routine was her time spent with the Lord. At an early age, I can remember seeing her read from this big family Bible that would sit on her coffee table. She told me, "If I read everyday, I finish the entire Bible in one year." In later years, she would do her Bible reading and Daily Bread at her kitchen table.

A few years ago, I tried a reading plan. (You can read more about that here or print a plan for yourself). This year, I'm using a One Year Bible. I've seen these Bibles. My mom even has one. But for some reason, I've always just thought I'd rather read from my study Bible. This year, I picked up a One Year Bible (like this) to guide my reading, and I am really enjoying it.

Each day, I simply open up to the date - They have already put together a passage from the Old Testament, a passage from the New Testament, a Psalm and something from Proverbs. It's easy to read, knowing that they have already put together the "assignment" for each day. There's less flipping from passage to passage. I am able to read the passages in about 15 minutes. I keep a notebook nearby to write down verses that I'd like to further study in my study Bible. And I love that I was able to get this in the New Living Translation - it's my favorite! I was afraid that it would seem disconnected. I was afraid I would have a hard time keeping track of where in the Bible I was reading from, but that isn't the case. I may not use this Bible every year, but for now, I am really enjoying the journey that it is taking me on.

For my bookmark, I use a picture of Nanny and myself.

She lived life to the fullest right up until the very end. She kept her priorities. She loved life. She loved her family and she loved the Lord. I want the same to be said of me. I want to be like my Nanny. 

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