Today is Spiritual Journey Thursday, a day for me to spend some time turning toward God. Please feel free to join me on this journey each Thursday with Holly Mueller and friends. For the next several weeks, Holly will be featuring our one little words. This week our word is believe, the one little word by Carol from Beyond Literacy.
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." ~ Hebrews 11:6
Today I write with a heavy heart. We received word today that a student in our community unexpectedly passed away. She was a second grader. Her sibling is a student in Megan's class.
It is so hard to believe when things like this happen. Why would God take a beautiful little girl when she still had so much life to live? We do not have the answers; we are only asked to believe.
I know that difficult times are not meant to make us stronger, but are meant to strengthen our faith in God.
This is not easy, but we are asked to just believe.
Below are the words from a song by Brooks and Dunn. I have included the video, but the words really say it all. It is a song about believing when we really have more questions than answers. When we are trying to sort out this thing called life.
When I raise my hands, bow my head
I'm finding more and more truth in the words written in red
They tell me that there's more to this than just what I can see
I believe
Oh, I believe
The loss of a small child is especially hard. Over Christmas break, a car and a train took the lives of 3 students from one school. Unimaginable. It is hard to believe and yet, we must. Our faith is the rock we stand on. Prayers for this child's family, your daughter, your community, and you.
ReplyDeleteFrom the scripture to the song, I applaud your work. This morning I found this line in the reading from God Is Calling: “You must say thank you for everything, even seeming trials and worries”. In reality that is hard to do but we need to pray for positives during trials. The song is powerful.
ReplyDeleteOh, Leigh Anne, I'm so sorry about loss of your student. They are all our students. The pain is real and hard and heavy. BELIEVE is a strong word and a hard word. It challenges. I love that word. You represent BELIEVE well. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLeigh Anne, it's heartbreaking when something like this happens. I love the Brooks and Dunn song, and it's a good reminder that we humans aren't meant to know all. All we can do is have faith and believe. Thanks for this beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to read about the death of one of the students in your school community. I was thinking this Christmas and New Year about two families I know who were facing those holidays for the first time without their 6 and 12 year old daughters. Heartbreaking! Years ago, our little neighborhood "lost" three children--infant, eighth grader, college freshman. It was the death of the eighth grader, through the sermon of her minister, that I became introduced to Rabbi Kushner's "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." The Rabbi, who lost his own son (when his son was a teenager if I recall), who wrote compellingly in support of what you have so honestly and poignantly shared in your beautiful post--belief and trust in God. Thank you for giving us a chance to enter into your grief. God bless you and your entire school community as you all heal together. May your goodness, light, and commitment help lead the way.
ReplyDeleteTragedies like this is when it's toughest to believe. We can't help but question what this life is all about it. I forgot about the Brooks & Dunn song. I loved it when it first came out, and it's perfect for your post today. We must believe. The lyrics you highlighted are words to live by. So is the scripture. Thank you for writing about BELIEVE even during a terrible week. I'm going to watch that video a couple more times!
ReplyDelete