It's been a rough week in Lake Woebegone.
I don't know why all these things happen all at once, but it seems that the old adage is true: when it rains, it pours.
A couple weeks ago, there was a local news item about a young girl who was out at the gun range with some friends and suddenly turned the gun on herself, committing suicide. We didn't realize it at the time, but the young lady in the news item was the same young girl who had just given her life to Christ in baptism a week or so before. At our church.
Last week, her ex-boyfriend, who had been with her at the gun range, who was also a Christian, stood in the playground at church while counselors tried to talk to him over the phone, and hung himself. He blamed himself for her death because he had broken up with her. Now they are both gone.
Last week, two of the older members of the church died of natural causes. Their loss, while not tragic, was still hard-felt. They were longtime members, very involved in the life of the church.
And again, last week, one of the members was involved in a hit-and-run accident. He hit a pedestrian, and he drove away, and didn't turn himself in until days later. Now he is under arrest, facing prison. He is a former elder, an active member of the church, from one of the core families. He made a very bad decision, and now those consequences have added to the family drama that is unfolding in our midst.
Saturday morning, we got word that Uncle Lee had died. Perhaps the blow was softened by the fact that we were aware of his failing health, and we are all confident of his destination. But it is still adding to the overall gloom of the last few weeks. We will miss him.
Oh, yes, there was also the election. Well, at least all those mud-slinging ads will stop now.
I am so ready for a vacation. Hawaii sounds good.
2 comments:
I can relate to what you are going thru in your congregation in more ways than I can explain. The last couple of years have been interesting to say the least, as God has shaken, sifted and is rebuilding. It is a long painful process, but one filled with hope. "Deep community" is the catch phrase these days. What we are discovering is that that authenticity in relationships comes not only with joy but with pain. Cancer has hit our congregation in a big way - the most emotional for us, currently, is a 5 yr old sweetheart of a girl who has been battling cancer for the last 3 yrs. We will be truly blessed if she makes it to 6. Several others also have cancer, or have relatives with it (myself included - my brother's wife, Stella). I don't mean to demean their situations. But Jenna's has hit us especially hard. Even as a mother, I can't begin to understand what they must be going thru. But even in the midst of these tragedies, God is moving. He is drawing us closer to each other and to Him. Perhaps that is Jenna's purpose for being here. I don't know. I do know, it is a unique feeling to be broken hearted and yet praise God. It's a deeper level of praise, I think. A more tangible example of what it means to truly praise God just because He is who He is. I'm still processing.
Love you guys.
My paranoid nature is such that I'm always imagining the worst outcome, worrying about my children - will they make it to the bus stop without getting run over? Will they slip on the ice and fall and break their heads open? This kind of thinking doesn't surprise me; tragedy makes for good theater, and my thespian side has always secretly wished for a tragic end so I could get a thunderous applause and a waterfall of tears upon my demise. But it isn't the same as worrying. It's just a desire to be missed. But children should not be missed. Children should be hugged and kissed and cuddled and held and treasured and protected. They shouldn't be poked and prodded and chemo'd and irradiated and operated on. That's a nightmare my brain just can't handle. We pray that God is just looking for another excuse for a miracle or two.
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