Thankful

"Thankful" probably isn't the title one might expect to see for this post, especially considering the catalyst. Our family just experienced an unexpected loss, and the family members it affects most immediately have yet to have a chance to mourn it. Yet somehow, in the midst of this sadness, I am thankful.

I am thankful for a God who is bigger than I am. For a God who grants peace and healing. For a God who holds His precious children in His hands, offering comfort. For a God who is strong enough to endure the punches that we throw at Him in the midst of our struggles, our pain, our loss. For a God who is our Father, holding on, protecting us, allowing us to experience the full range of emotions yet reassuring us that we won't experience them alone.

At times like this, I wonder how those who don't believe manage. When life seems out-of-control or we're faced with tragedy, how does someone without faith cope? I honestly wonder.

Faith isn't about weakness. It's about confidence in a God who loves us in spite of our flaws. It's recognizing our own imperfections and deficiencies and inadequacies, and realizing that we can bring them before our God, our Father. Like an earthly father who should protect and love his family, our Heavenly Father allows us freedom to grow and develop as individuals, and loves us even when we misstep or fail. And even better than an earthly father, God completely understands our heartaches and pain because He knows us even better than we know ourselves.

So I thank you, Father God, for being there in the midst of the pain and the heartache. Your presence doesn't lessen the sadness, but it carries me through it, bringing hope.