Welcome to Wednesday Witness! Please read this week's testimony and be encouraged! All comments on Wednesday Witness should be encouraging and uplifting.
Be sure to email me at kirraantrobus@gmail.com if you want to have your testimony featured for Wednesday Witness.
I don’t
think I fully understood the phrase “peace that passes understanding” until my
mother went missing.
On
September 13th, 2011, our family reported my mom missing after she
failed to keep a scheduled appointment. From that day forward, we endured a long,
stressful search for her. When I went home for Christmas, we continued in
prayer and hoping that my mother would be found. As the year drew to a close,
however, we had still heard nothing. Peace continued to wash over, but
anticipation also began to weave its way into my thoughts. That anticipation,
for the first time, turned to fear in early January, when a late local news
update reported that the body of a woman had been found.
Sometimes
the voice and presence of God seems like nothing more than a whisper in our
lives, especially when we’re waiting on him to scream out answers in our lives.
His response comes with a soft breeze in the midst of a raging storm. On
January 3, 2012, the phone rang a storm through our home with the news that my
mother had drowned back in a September flood. And, on January 3, 2012, the
voice of God came as a whisper as my dad wept the news to me, and the whisper
was only one word: “Peace.”
There is a
classic gospel song, “Peace Be Still,” by Rev. James Cleveland, that has the
lyrics: “The winds and the waves shall obey thy will / Peace be still, peace be
still / Peace be still, peace be still / Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed
sea / or demons, or men, or whatever it be / No water can swallow the ship
where lies / the Master of ocean and earth and skies / they shall sweetly obey
thy will …” It seems almost cruelly ironic that the language that comes to me
in this situation is the language of a storm. Yet what strikes me about the
goodness of God in this situation is that in the midst of this “storm,” and in
the depth of this deep loss, what I have clung to most is not the tempest and
not the fear and not that sense of loss … but the constant awareness of his
presence, and the constant assuredness of his peace.
Storms will
come. Sometimes it rains; sometimes a full-force gale. Peace, be still. Your fears
may seem unbearable; the pain of loss may almost be more than you can bear.
Peace, be still. In the midst of your storms, know that God is there.
I’m
reminded of Peter (my favorite disciple) and the walking-on-water incident. In
the midst of possibly one of the most awesome displays of faith among the
disciples, Peter walks on water to join Jesus, only to freak out when he
realizes, “Wait … I’m walking on water … in a STORM!” After saving him, Jesus
says, “Oh thou of little faith, why did you doubt?” I always pictured Jesus
saying this to Peter with a smile on his face. Our faith is so strong until we
are afraid. We walk tall until we realize we’re walking through a storm. But in
the midst of that storm, it’s important to remember that Jesus is walking ahead
of us, and he’s calling out: “Come.” He is with us in and through the storms.
And if we listen closely, even above the howling of the wind and the crashing
of the waves, I believe we will always hear his sweet, soft voice whispering:
“Peace.”
So terribly sorry for your loss. No one can replace a mother, but you have many mothers in your life now that can ferry her loving to you. Know that you are loved, Ms Khara.
ReplyDeleteKhara,
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad that your family had to suffer this loss. I'm glad you were able to find the amazing peace of Jesus loving voice even in the storm of your sorrow.
Just beautiful... your words brought tears to my eyes as I thought about my own mom and how it would devestate me if something were to happen to her. You are a strong woman! God and your mom are always by your side.
ReplyDeleteOh, Khara. This is just beautiful. There is such wisdom in these words: "what I have clung to most is not the tempest and not the fear and not that sense of loss … but the constant awareness of his presence, and the constant assuredness of his peace."
ReplyDeletePeter is my favorite disciple, too, and I fear it's because I have quite a bit in common with him. I am too quick to panic, too quick to take my eyes off the Father. Too quick to see the storm, and miss the shelter I'm already standing on.
Many, many prayers for you and your family as you continue to seek His peace in this loss. May He continue to stay your fears, and put a smile on YOUR face. You're amazing.
Thank you, Kirra, for sharing this.
De Jackson
www.whimsygizmo.wordpress.com
Oh my stars, prayers and love and sorrow and solace for this tragedy. Courageous and noble to post about it. May the blessings of your Lord surround you.
ReplyDeleteThank you all, so much, for your comments; it truly means a great deal. And thank you, Kirra, for this opportunity to share!
ReplyDeleteKhara House
(www.kharahouse.com)
Khara, thank you again for sharing. I am so thankful that you are able to lean on God in this situation and praise Him even though the storm is so rough.
DeleteI wish I had the words to say what I'm feeling right now after reading your story. Just know that I'm sorry, and that your strength and ability to find peace in the midst of this terrible storm gives me hope.
ReplyDeleteKhara and Kirra, thank you both for sharing this.
This is truly a beautiful and faith filled testimony to God's ability give us peace in the storm.
ReplyDeleteGod's peace and love to you!
Khara -
ReplyDeleteYou were able to find a resting place with God so that your heart would not rage as storms often do. It sounds as if your family were able embrace each other also.
Peace be with you, always.
Monique
Though I'm rather delayed in expressing it, thank you all, again, for your kind, warm words.
ReplyDelete