More Than Mended Archives - Page 2 of 2

Early Blooms

One morning just after the time change, I paused as I headed to work and took a picture of my apricot tree with its pretty pink blooms set against the grey light of dawn. As I look at the tree, I think about my own life, and wonder how often I have raced ahead of the season and bloomed but failed to bear fruit. The longer I live, the more I see that life is complex. It is a long, slow, journey. This journey is what some once called the process of sanctification, and for me it has been a long, slow, growing in grace.

Inconvenient Interruptions

Not long ago an interruption to my day – an unplanned conversation that took precious time that I didn’t think I had to give – turned out to be a beautiful moment of healing old wounds. It reminded me of a book I had read and wrote about many years ago when my children were young. This passage from the book Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss and my recent conversation reminded me that some interruptions that momentarily inconvenience can be beautiful opportunities for growth and healing.

Facing the Dark And Finding Light

I watch the sunset and I am drawn to the wonder and awe of its elegant artistry. I want to linger in its light and hold on to its beauty; to close my eyes to the gathering dark and carry it with me through the night till light can once more be seen with my waking eyes. But eventually, I must turn and face the lengthening shadows. Sometimes grief, like the fading light of day, will settle slowly in our hearts, so how do we face the dark?

A Light for the night

Sometimes it is difficult in the middle of winter to remember the bright colors of spring, the warmth of sun on your face and bare arms, the fragrant smell of lilac and hyacinth, and the musical chatter of birds. But spring will come again, the days will get longer, and the sunshine will eventually bring warmth. Seasons pass and so do dark nights and grief. Sometimes instead of a new year resolution or goal, we must simply remind ourselves that this too shall pass.

A Living Loss

Life is full of loss. Living losses often come in the form of broken relationships with those we love. Divorce, job loss, injury, illness, or lost relationships, can all leave us heartbroken and wondering what happened. The problem with a living loss is the lack of finality. We hope that what is lost will be restored, what is broken will be mended, or that what has gone so terribly wrong will once again be made right. But while we may cling to hope, grief still accompanies loss, even when it mingles with hope. Sharing my own experiences with living loss, I hope to encourage you in your journey to heart healing.

Go Ahead – Be Angry but Sin Not

Grief. It can be a bizarre journey on an emotional roller coaster. And grief can come in all seasons of life and stem from many different causes. In their book, On Grief and Grieving, anger is the second stage of grief mentioned by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler. I once read that anger and frustration almost always stem from a sense of injustice or entitlement. But you know, friend, death is unjust because we were not created for death.

Faithful Tears

The most common stage of grief usually experienced first is denial. Denial lasted a long time as I walked through that first really hard loss in my life. My brain and my heart just could not accept that brain damage would permanently alter the child I once had and that I would never again have the little boy that I took to the hospital on that spring day in May 1992. I felt I could not hold to my faith and still grieve and acknowledge the reality of Justin’s brain damage.

More Than Mended

I’m Sheila, and this is where I hope to talk about those hard things that often catch us by surprise and leave us breathless, bewildered, and broken. Things we don’t often talk about beyond brief regards or awkward condolences, like death, rejection, broken relationships, abuse, and all the terrible consequences of our sin and/or the sin of others against us.
Whether we acknowledge it our not, those are some of the very things that shape who we are and how we see the world around us. They impact our relationships and our loves.

Category: More Than Mended