When You Can't Hang on to Familiar

After the celebrations end, 

there are some things that can be a little rough for a new bride.

Especially when the adventure takes place in a setting away from home.

There is something that you may not have prepared for...

An unexpected loss of familiar.

We started our life together by moving on the day after the wedding.

Our new home was four and a half hours away. 

Now, I am well aware that four and a half hours is not far,
but to me it was a world away from the things where I found comfort.

Things I was accustomed to that were just simply gone.

Favorite spots.

Even the grocery stores around us now had unfamiliar names!

Little details, yes.  But familiar little details.

The life before, the life that I took for granted.

Add to that the physical absence of a support system.

Family and friends who were no longer a few miles down the road.

There was after all, no facebook.  

And now just a phone call away carried pretty hefty long distance fees
especially for newlyweds on a tight budget!

At first all of the "new" made everything even more of an adventure.

Finding new places that would now be "our" spots was exciting.

Intriguing to explore the new surroundings together.

As long as we were together this new life was nothing but an adventure.  

Did I mention that I had a husband who was frequently sent to work in other places 

... away from home.

Away from me.

Of course, we were able to find a new support group in friends at a new church.

It was a huge blessing as well when I found older women who mentored me.

But all of that came later.  Community like we had known does not happen overnight.

And being alone at that time was a huge change to the life I knew.

A house with four girls can be a chattery place.

When Bud was gone, the house resonated silence.

Being by myself made the silence more intense.

So I filled the silence with music.

Music has always been a healing balm.
And now it became a healing balm for my lonliness.

And one song in particular stood out.  

It was sung by Danny Gaither, Bill Gaither's brother.

An old hymn called "O Love that Will Not Let Me Go".

The arrangement moves slow and his voice is beautiful
and the words filled the empty spaces in my heart
and pointed me to Jesus.

Always choose songs that point to Jesus.

Just recently I found a new arrangement of this song by Indelible Grace.  It is not so slow. 

Instead of a peaceful tone, it takes on a more joyful one.

I really like it.

The story of the hymn  brought a fresh perspective 

and made the message of the song new for me again.

A timeless message for loneliness... as well as the struggles of days yet to come.

God loves you and you are not alone.

His presence can change any situation you face.

His nearness always has been and always will be our good as we lean hard into His love.

The words for this song were written by George Matheson 

and it was written at a time of intense loneliness for him.

Written on the night of his sister's wedding.

A beautiful tribute to a good God whose love never ever ends.

So check out this hymn and its story and let it remind you.  

God loves you.  He has you.  You are not alone.

If you know the pain of loneliness or you have found yourself in unfamiliar territory.  

If you are living life without the support system of friends and family you had grown so used to.  

If you are way outside of anything resembling a comfort zone.

Jesus knows where you are and what you are going through.  

He knows the hairs on your head and every healthy or rogue cell in your body.  

He holds you tight in his hand and He will not let you go.

He is never ever ever ever going to leave you.

He loves you that much.

So thankful that George Matheson got it
and wrote ...

________________________

The lace bobbin used in the pictures was made by Anthony Archer and purchased when I lived in England during the 80's.  The message on this bobbin may have been inspired by a quote in the corner of a movie poster for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", but for me it spoke loud clear of this hymn that had meant so much to me and still does.

"We are not alone"

_________________________

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.

Ps. 23:4

A Blessing on Asher

"I just can’t help wondering where these feet will take him in life…"

I think she may have actually said that with each baby she held.

Each grandchild and great grandchild.

We smiled at the sentimentality, but the statement goes deep in meaning. 

There is, after all, so much potential in a life. 

Will the little boy you kiss goodnight walk without stumbling? 

Will that little girl whose dimples bring you so much joy when she giggles, climb to heights of glory in close relationship with her Creator? 

We just don’t know.

Will those little feet that tickle so easily walk straight paths or stumble? 

Will they skip through all the hard in life, or will they drag their feet on the rough pavement?

Will someone be there to catch them when they fall?

Has someone been there for us when we’ve fallen?

This life, this walk?  

It can be a struggle for us all sometimes.

When it comes to our children, if we are honest, 

as much as we want to think we would help them and be with them each of those steps, 

we won’t; we can’t.

But there is always one thing you will be able to count on.  

God can. 

 And be certain of this...God will.  

God is always going to be there,

 to point the way, to pick them up when they fall 

and to make those paths that seem so crooked into straight ones

...to give grace.

Moses may have been thinking along this line when he blessed the tribes of Israel. 

In the Message translation of Deut. 33:25, Moses said of the tribe of Asher:

“Asher, best blessed of the sons!

May he be the favorite of his brothers,

His feet massaged in oil.

Safe behind iron-clad doors and gates,

Your strength like iron as long as you live”

According to the commentaries I read about this passage, 

it looks like Moses blessed this tribe with a life of luxury!

I wonder how Asher's story continued for his family.

I'm sure they lived through hard like we've not known.

There is one thing that stood out to me in this verse.

In the King James Version, these same verses read, 

And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children;

 let him be acceptable to his brethren, 

and let him dip his foot in oil.

Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

He seemed particularly interested in Asher's feet.

Maybe he understood the path would be hard that lay ahead for him.

The hope for an easy life, a safe life, can run deep in our hearts and being.

Moses blessed Asher with the ability to keep going even when the way is hard.

To find the strength to make it to the end, 

and everything he needed to be sure his feet did not fail him!

Thankful for the prayers and the blessings of older generations...

watching out for the feet and walk of the younger ones.

And for those who pray them.