Peace

I'm going to stray away from talking about Alyson today and share the devotional I read this morning instead because it really touched me. For Mother's Day my mom gave me Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young. It's a very quick daily devotional that is written as if God were speaking directly to you. I have enjoyed each day I have read so far and highly recommend it if you are looking for a great book for quiet time.

I have not openly shared on my blog the devastation that hit us 2 weeks ago. It's something I have struggled with and really haven't wanted to write about. Dealing with how I feel about it has been part of the reason why I haven't blogged much lately.

I'm not going to go into all the little details on what happened, just going to give you the basics. I got a call from our babysitter, Sherry, on Tuesday, May 14th around lunchtime asking if I could come pick up Alyson early. When I got there I learned the devastating news that Owen, a 2 month old baby at Sherry's house on his first day, had stopped breathing while taking a nap. He was flown to a local hospital where his prognosis continued to decline over the week. Owen's parents graciously agreed to donate his organs on Friday, May 17th. Our amazing babysitter, Sherry, was forced to stop watching children until an investigation into the incident and her career has been completed.

 

I have questioned God so many times over the past 2 weeks. Why does He take an innocent child away from his parents at such a young age? Why does He allow horrible things to happen to good people? Really just....Why?? I am coming to accept that God is in control and see's the big picture while we can only see a small portion. I know my questions of all the whys will probably never be answered and I will most likely never understand. As you'll see, this devotional begins with, "The peace that I give you transcends your intellect." I'm slowly beginning to accept that. It's not an easy lesson to learn....and apparently I'm a slow learner. ;)

 

As you can imagine, I've held Alyson a little tighter and taken every opportunity I can to kiss those chubby cheeks. It has really hit home with me that we never know what the next minute holds. I cherish each moment I have to spend with her and Justin. I have anxiously been counting down the days until summer break knowing that I get to spend each waking minute with my precious baby!

Today's devotional spoke volumes to me about God giving us peace. And seeing as how it's the 2 week mark since baby Owen passed away, I found it fitting to share with you today. Sherry I know you read my blog, and I hope this gives you as much comfort as it has brought me. I took a photo of today's passage to share with you. I hope you're able to read it from this picture. If you're not, someone let me know and I'll type it out for you. 

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.  2 Thessalonians3:16 NLT

 

Submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you.  Job 22:21 NLT

 

My prayer today is that Owen's family find peace, the parents of the other children Sherry watches find peace, and most of all that Sherry finds peace. Sherry and I were talking the other day and she made this statement: "...we cannot let the devil win and let this pull us away from our Heavenly Father. He truly loves us and his peace is the only true comfort we can receive." Well said, my friend!!