A few days after my sister passed from this world, I was driving down the road and there she was. She was in the clouds, painting the sky with pink ribbons all around.  Pink was her favorite color. The dance in the brush strokes was evident as my eyes followed the pattern around the circle of my vision. As far as I could see, the east from the west and the north from the south, there they were,

the most brilliant pink. 

I pulled off the road so I could stand and bask in the glorious healing and pure joy in that moment.  I stood there and let the Holy Spirit minister to my heart, my inward pain of mourning and felt the rush of peace wash over my soul. 

I think about Joshua and how he must have felt in that moment God said to him, “Get up.”  Moses was dead and Israel had mourned long enough.  It was time to get up and move forward.  It was time to gather up all their strength and courage to keep pressing on to all God had promised. “Be strong and courageous.” Moses spoke those words to Joshua when he prepared him for what was coming.  Then, God spoke these words to Joshua three times, practically in the same breath.  Joshua 1:1-9

“Be strong and courageous.”

I hear those words resounding over me today. 

I know God is calling me deeper.

I know God is making me stronger.

I know God is calling me across this river, back to the land of the living. 

In Acts 27, in the midst of the storm at sea, God promised the apostle Paul that he and the ship's crew would survive, but the ship would be lost.

In Acts 27:41 it reads:

“But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.”

It would have been much less traumatic if God had saved the ship, but the reality of it all is sometimes our boat goes down. The good news is that the wooden boat's broken pieces helped float them to safety. We think we have to have the boat, but God had a plan so that their brokenness became their breakthrough.

When losing someone precious to you, what you have left is what you need. God doesn’t let you lose so much that you can't make it to where He's taking you. When you're in the waves, grab onto those broken pieces. That means to keep believing that what God promised is still on the way. Keep thanking God for His goodness. He doesn't change His mind. The boat may have broken apart, but you're still going to make it.

I know firsthand the pain of loss and how it shatters our hearts into a million broken pieces. But, I also know that by clinging to the truth, that is God, we are able to hold fast to those million pieces. 

Lay every last one at the foot of the cross.  

He then transforms and puts it all together through a million miracles, to work for our Good.

I love the part of the scripture that says “The prow stuck fast, and remained immovable.” My prayer continues to remain steady and unmovable and represent Jesus well in all of this.

There are two choices before us today.

Even though we don’t quite understand the why in His timing, we can anchor down in the Father’s promises, trust Him, and grow closer to Him. 

Or, we can get caught up in the questions and guilt devised by the enemy. We get broken apart by the waves. The enemy wants nothing more than to convince you that death is the end.

but, I want you to know today, God's promises are just the beginning!

In 1 John 5:15, it reads; “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” Through the salvation of Jesus, we are promised life forever. 

That is the great exchange.

That is the perfect gift of the Father’s love.