Troy – summer of ’96
It’s been 25 years since I last held my infant son Troy in my arms. He died of rare complications from Marfan’s Syndrome. I still struggle to wrap my mind around it all. I try to imagine him in Heaven waiting for me to join him and sometimes I get blessedly lost in that daydream. I know the promises that Jesus gives me for eternity. That assurance makes it all almost bearable. But then I must return to the here and now and deal with grief and loss and painful memories. It would be so much easier if I could just be lost in dreams of a place where there are no tears or pain or illness and Marfan’s Syndrome doesn’t exist.
There’s so much Christian literature that deals with the purpose of pain and suffering and I won’t bore you with that. But I read something today that made me stop and think.
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”
John 21:20-22
Jesus’ answer is telling. “Focus in the job I gave you, Peter, even if you don’t like that job. Don’t worry about what I am doing in anyone else’s life. Deal with your own issues because everything that I put in your life has a purpose. That’s what it means to follow me.”
I don’t blame Peter for his question. We all tend to look at what else is going on when we don’t like what we see in front of us. Sometimes the lessons God is teaching us are simple and joyous. Others may be painful and force us to look at parts of ourselves that we would much rather avoid. Each experience that God puts in our path is meant to stretch us and grow us into something that will be much different from who we are right now. And that new person will be just the person God has planned for us to be all along. We will have to follow Jesus as Peter did for this to happen. During the difficult days, know that he is right beside you – guiding you, holding you tight, leading you always. During impossibly painful times, those times when grief or illness or paralyzing fears and doubts cause you to lose your focus on Jesus, know that He is still there. Lean into Him and He will take you closer to God’s heart as He prepares you for eternity.
I would much rather focus on good things and my memories of Troy are treasured faded snapshots of him gazing at me in his gentle way, his slow little smile with sweet blue eyes and strawberry blond hair. I try to focus on that and not think of the last time I held him. But on the anniversary, I can’t stop my mind from wandering down dark alleys that threaten to rip me apart. So, I reach for Jesus, knowing that He has a purpose in this even if it is beyond me right now.
“…if I believe that God is good, then I need to accept whatever happens to me in life as a gift. And allow Him to take some of the things that hurt, allow Him to take some of the things that sting, some of the things that I think are going to kill me- allow Him to take those things and make of me the person He wants me to be. It may not be the person I want to be, but it’ll be the person He would want me to be.”
Rich Mullins
A quote that brings perspective. Our lives are not about us, but rather it is about what God wants of us and that really turns things around. In John 21, Jesus tells Peter his plan for him when he says. “Feed my sheep”, and then reminds Peter of the love between them. Truly, walking in love is the only way we can follow the path that Jesus beckons us to.
Peter’s journey is our journey too. I can be as headstrong as the wayward apostle was. But as I learn to listen and follow God, I find unexpected twists and turns in my paths. Some of those twists were agonizing, others were fun diversions. With hindsight I can now see how the breaking of my heart (and pride) allows me to experience deeper love and trust as it heals. God is teaching me big lessons with even bigger eternal consequences.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
25 years- today I will allow myself to daydream a bit. Though I yearn for the day of reunion, today I let God heal a bit more of the bleeding parts of my soul. And tomorrow I will ask Him to teach me, to grow me, to stretch me yet again, trusting in His love for me- trusting in the plans he has for me.