“There’s a day that’s drawing near, when this darkness breaks to light. And the shadows disappear, and my faith will be my eyes!” The day is coming and it’s coming soon! The darkness will break to a bright light. The shadows of the world, the shadow s of sin will disappear. This world will be here no longer. Our lives, friends, possessions will be completely out of the picture. Our faith will be our eyes. This is the coming day that we are living for. Nothing at all will matter when we stand before the God of Creation except whether we were covered by the blood of the lamb or not. Abby was covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. The Lord opened her eyes and showed her sin. The power of the Holy Spirit overwhelmed her and she confessed her sin which God forgave. He had chosen Abby to belong to Him. Abby’s only boast was in Jesus Christ. If we are not covered by the blood of the Lamb, we are doomed for destruction. Let us cry out to an all sovereign God to pour out His underserved mercy upon our unworthy heads. He is faithful. He is faithful to fulfill His promises and He is faithful to bring good out of all He sends our way. Abby’s death will produce much good in the lives of all those touched by it. Her passing and new life has brought me back into the perspective I needed. Here are several observations and lessons that death teaches us.
Firstly, “Life is but a vapor.” Our earthly lives are only a mist, a passing shadow, a vapor. We are here only for a short time. We are not promised one more day and should live each day unexpectant of another. We cannot make the earthly assumption that we will live for seventy-five or eighty years. Abby was fourteen; we could die anytime. We must be prepared and should never be guilty of putting off “religion” till a later date. We should never put off investing in the lives of others thinking Oh, I’ll have plenty of time. “Today is the day of Salvation.”
Secondly, every person leaves a legacy behind. Abby left a legacy; our Papaw left a legacy; Charles Darwin left a legacy. We will too. We do not want any regrets. If our name was called tonight would we have glorified Christ alone or would we have left a worldly heritage. Would our friends and family remember us as being about things of eternal worth or passing things. The legacy Abby left was real and lasting because her God was and is and always will be real – even until the end of the age.
Thirdly, we do not always understand the ways of an all Sovereign God. We are so small in comparison to the God we serve. We may not understand all of His ways. I mean, why Abby? She could have had many children to raise them as warriors for You? She had so much potential to advance the Christian faith? I know. What worldly thoughts. But, because of our fallen nature, we do wonder. Our only hope is to with a child-like faith trust that our God had a plan. His purposes are wonderful. He is totally Sovereign.
Fourthly, life is only a journey. It is so easy for us to be tied to the things of this world and think that this is our life. This world is not our home. We are to live as strangers here. We should be homesick for our real home – heaven! But, it’s easy to get comfortable down here. It’s all we know. We go to church, profess Christ, and might say we long for heaven; but, do we actually “have our thing” down on earth that we are strongly attached to. May God have mercy on us all. When we recall the fact that God may call us home tomorrow we might think quickly “But I’ve got to…” Whoa! This is where we shockingly err. What have we to do that would collide with God’s Sovereign plan? Our chief goal is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” We cannot let anything or any plan or any person of ours get in the way of that purpose. We should honestly test our hearts and see that we are not tied to any worldly thing and that we are always ready to go Home.
Lastly, “Better is one day in thy courts than a thousand elsewhere.” Heaven is a glorious place! Better is one day there than a thousand down here. “No more sorrow no more pain.” Abby’s tears are wiped away. She has no more pain. Abby is free of sin. Abby is forever free of sorrow. Abby will see no more darkness! She is hearing the voice of many angels singing, “Worthy is the lamb.” Abby’s home going may bring up questions and sorrow. “But it is the Lord’s doing, and ought to be marvelous in our eyes.” “Even He that sits on the white horse, who is called faithful and true, and judges and fights righteously, whose garments are dipped in blood and whose name was called the Word of God. For He shall rule with a rod of iron…and he has upon His garment…a name written: the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.” Abby is with this King of Kings. She is in those glorious courts of the Lamb right now. She is here only because, “Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed. The victory is won. Abby has risen to be with Jesus. We, too, will rise when He calls our name. No more sorrow; no more pain. We will rise on eagle’s wings; before our God fall on our knees. And rise. We will rise. The day is drawing near. “Behold, I am coming soon. Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
Hannah
April 23, 2009
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Beauty Will Rise
Our first reaction to pain and hurt is, "why God, how could you do this." but this shouldn't be the case. God doesn't owe us anything. We owe Him everything! The song "Beauty will rise" shows the pain and suffering in loosing a loved one but then tells of the hope we can look forward to: "Out of these ashes beauty will rise, we will dance among the ruins we will see it with our own eyes. Out of these ashes beauty will rise. For we know joy is coming in the morning, in the morning beauty will rise. So take another breath for now, let the tears come washing down. If you can't believe, I will believe with you, because I have seen the signs of spring, I can hear it in the distance and its not too far away. Its the music and the laughterof a wedding and a feast. I can almost feel the hand of God, Reaching for my face to wipe the tears away. Say its time to make everything new, Make it all new: this is our hope this is a promise."
Steven Curtis Chapman tells of his longing for Heaven and all the little things he misses with his daughter gone. But he says: "God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more But God, You know that this is what I’m aching for God, You know I just can’t see beyond the door."
Then he hopes for Heaven; the place where there will be no more suffering: "But in my mind’s eye I can see a place Where Your glory fills every empty space. All the cancer is gone. Every mouth is filled, and there’s no one left in the orphans’ bed. Every lonely heart finds the one true love, and there’s no more goodbye, and no more “not enough”, and there’s no more enemy."
Then He tells of God's faithfulness: "And see, its everything He said that it would be, and even better than we would believe, and He’s counting down the days until He says come with me. And finallyHe’ll wipe every tear from our eyes, and make everything new just like He promised. Wait and see."
But he also tells of the hurt he's experiencing: "Right now all I can taste are bitter tears. Right now all I can see are clouds of sorrow from the other side of all this grief. But right now all I can say is Lord, how long before you come and take away this aching. This night of weeping seems to have no end. But when the morning light breaks through we’ll open up our eyes, and see, its everything He said that it would be."
He talks about the stages of depression, when we feel like there is no hope, but during those times Jesus is there: "When you think you’ve hit the bottom and the bottom gives way. And you fall into a darkness no words can explain. You don’t know how you’ll make it out alive. Jesus will meet you there."
Then He tells of the comfort in knowing that our Savior cares and will carry us through our hardships: "He knows the way to wherever you are. He knows the way to the depths of your heart. He knows the way cause He’s already been where you’re going. When you realize the dreams you’ve had for your child won’t come true. And when the phone rings in the middle of the night with tragic news. Whatever valley you must walk through, Jesus will meet you there."
He tells of God's sovereignty in every aspect of our life: "This is not how it will be, when we finally will see. We’ll see with our own eyes, He was always in control. And we’ll sing Holy Holy Holy is in our God, and we will finally really understand what it means. Though this first taste is bitter, there will be sweetness forever. when we finally taste and see that Our God is in control. This is not where we planned to be, when we started this journey. This is where we are and Our God is in control."
Then he throws himself at God's feet and gives him up his questions. He tells God that even through all his hardships, He will still trust him: "I don’t even want to breathe now. All I want to do is close my eyes. I don’t want to open them again, till I’m standing on the other side. I don’t even want to be right now. I don’t want to think another thought. I don’t want to feel this pain I feel. Right now pain is all I’ve got. I will trust you God. Even when I don’t understand. Even then I will say again, You are my God and I will trust You. Even when I can’t see the end. I will trust you. With every breath I take, and for every day that breaks. I will trust you. When nothing is making sense, I will still trust you. I know your heart is good. I know your love is strong. I know your plans for me are much better than my own. God I’m longing for the day to come when this cloudy glass I’m looking through is shattered in a million pieces, and finally I can just see You. God you know I believe its true. I know I will see you, but until the day I do, I will trust you."
Steven Curtis Chapman tells of his longing for Heaven and all the little things he misses with his daughter gone. But he says: "God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more But God, You know that this is what I’m aching for God, You know I just can’t see beyond the door."
Then he hopes for Heaven; the place where there will be no more suffering: "But in my mind’s eye I can see a place Where Your glory fills every empty space. All the cancer is gone. Every mouth is filled, and there’s no one left in the orphans’ bed. Every lonely heart finds the one true love, and there’s no more goodbye, and no more “not enough”, and there’s no more enemy."
Then He tells of God's faithfulness: "And see, its everything He said that it would be, and even better than we would believe, and He’s counting down the days until He says come with me. And finallyHe’ll wipe every tear from our eyes, and make everything new just like He promised. Wait and see."
But he also tells of the hurt he's experiencing: "Right now all I can taste are bitter tears. Right now all I can see are clouds of sorrow from the other side of all this grief. But right now all I can say is Lord, how long before you come and take away this aching. This night of weeping seems to have no end. But when the morning light breaks through we’ll open up our eyes, and see, its everything He said that it would be."
He talks about the stages of depression, when we feel like there is no hope, but during those times Jesus is there: "When you think you’ve hit the bottom and the bottom gives way. And you fall into a darkness no words can explain. You don’t know how you’ll make it out alive. Jesus will meet you there."
Then He tells of the comfort in knowing that our Savior cares and will carry us through our hardships: "He knows the way to wherever you are. He knows the way to the depths of your heart. He knows the way cause He’s already been where you’re going. When you realize the dreams you’ve had for your child won’t come true. And when the phone rings in the middle of the night with tragic news. Whatever valley you must walk through, Jesus will meet you there."
He tells of God's sovereignty in every aspect of our life: "This is not how it will be, when we finally will see. We’ll see with our own eyes, He was always in control. And we’ll sing Holy Holy Holy is in our God, and we will finally really understand what it means. Though this first taste is bitter, there will be sweetness forever. when we finally taste and see that Our God is in control. This is not where we planned to be, when we started this journey. This is where we are and Our God is in control."
Then he throws himself at God's feet and gives him up his questions. He tells God that even through all his hardships, He will still trust him: "I don’t even want to breathe now. All I want to do is close my eyes. I don’t want to open them again, till I’m standing on the other side. I don’t even want to be right now. I don’t want to think another thought. I don’t want to feel this pain I feel. Right now pain is all I’ve got. I will trust you God. Even when I don’t understand. Even then I will say again, You are my God and I will trust You. Even when I can’t see the end. I will trust you. With every breath I take, and for every day that breaks. I will trust you. When nothing is making sense, I will still trust you. I know your heart is good. I know your love is strong. I know your plans for me are much better than my own. God I’m longing for the day to come when this cloudy glass I’m looking through is shattered in a million pieces, and finally I can just see You. God you know I believe its true. I know I will see you, but until the day I do, I will trust you."
Monday, August 17, 2009
Heaven: by Jordan Sherrod
Here is the way my friend described Heaven. Abby knows this better than all of us! She is in infinite joy and how i await that time...the moment i meet my Daddy face to face...what an amazing joy that will be...what a mixture of emotions...what an indescribable moment...what a gloroius day!
“I can’t explain all the emotions I’ll have! When that glorious day comes I’ll probably have emotions I didn’t know existed! All I can think about is sitting in my Daddy’s arms, His strong arms. All wrapped around me, His arms are more solid then rock and yet as comfortable as a feather bed! And his presence is a brilliant light, and from his body there is warmth, no warmth as in heat but as in security and comfort. The very moment I sit there on his lap, if it is allowed I’ll start pouring out showers of tears, tears of Joy and yet tears of sorrow because of all those million times I sinned. Then I’ll turn and hug him firmly around the waist and He’ll hug me securely and tell me, ‘Welcome home, son,” and I’ll probably start crying all over again after hearing the voice I’ve been waiting to hear ALL my life! That soothing, melodic, and comforting voice. After all these things happen I will lift my eyes and look into his glory, staring at me in his face. There will be love, Oh what love!! Unfailing Love, something I’ve never experienced, but that face…that beautiful, Holy face will be more than I can bear, and I’ll slide off his lap, down his robe, on to the ground and bow as low as I can saying, “oh my Master, my Daddy, I am so unworthy!! You are the King and I am but dust! Why? I am so unworthy!! And then the Father, with His mighty hands will pick me up as if I am a teddy bear and will set me once again on his lap and say. “I love you so much son and I died for you so you could be where you are right now!” *more crying* His hand is wrapped around the back of my head, and his fingers are so huge that they touch at my forehead, he lifts me up and sets my head on his chest and he embraces me, me…nothing but ashes, and I am shocked and in awe of my Savior. Embraced by my maker, dwelling for eternity with him, praising him…Truly this is Heaven.”
“I can’t explain all the emotions I’ll have! When that glorious day comes I’ll probably have emotions I didn’t know existed! All I can think about is sitting in my Daddy’s arms, His strong arms. All wrapped around me, His arms are more solid then rock and yet as comfortable as a feather bed! And his presence is a brilliant light, and from his body there is warmth, no warmth as in heat but as in security and comfort. The very moment I sit there on his lap, if it is allowed I’ll start pouring out showers of tears, tears of Joy and yet tears of sorrow because of all those million times I sinned. Then I’ll turn and hug him firmly around the waist and He’ll hug me securely and tell me, ‘Welcome home, son,” and I’ll probably start crying all over again after hearing the voice I’ve been waiting to hear ALL my life! That soothing, melodic, and comforting voice. After all these things happen I will lift my eyes and look into his glory, staring at me in his face. There will be love, Oh what love!! Unfailing Love, something I’ve never experienced, but that face…that beautiful, Holy face will be more than I can bear, and I’ll slide off his lap, down his robe, on to the ground and bow as low as I can saying, “oh my Master, my Daddy, I am so unworthy!! You are the King and I am but dust! Why? I am so unworthy!! And then the Father, with His mighty hands will pick me up as if I am a teddy bear and will set me once again on his lap and say. “I love you so much son and I died for you so you could be where you are right now!” *more crying* His hand is wrapped around the back of my head, and his fingers are so huge that they touch at my forehead, he lifts me up and sets my head on his chest and he embraces me, me…nothing but ashes, and I am shocked and in awe of my Savior. Embraced by my maker, dwelling for eternity with him, praising him…Truly this is Heaven.”
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Even when i am weak, He is strong!!
You know that they are in a better place, but you cant help missing them sooo much!! thats why it feels so good to cry because it helps release the burdens that have been on your heart. Crying shows that you are weak. After a good cry you feel like you have no energy left which is a good state to be in because it then shows that God is strong!! all the strength you receive is from God, its not us!! Crying doesn’t make you a cry baby it just means that you really care about what you are crying for!! “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” Friends come along side each other and cry with one another!! because a true friend feels the pain when their friends are hurting! i wish i could have met Abby!! i’m sure i would have loved her so much! She was sooooo beautiful, and even more beautiful than her outward appearance was her heart!! even those who haven’t seen her think she is beautiful because of her love for God and her dedication to his will!! Visitations are hard, but the only ones ive gone to are my great grandparents who were ready to die. i mean i love them, but its not like your cousin who is like your best friend. i don’t understand how it is to loose someone who was that close and special to you. my best friend is my cousin and i have no idea what i would do if anything happened to her!! i cant even imagine it!! i have no idea how you can still live through the days without thinking of her every second of the day! i admire all of Abby’s loved ones for staying strong during this time! Remember, God will be “By your side whenever you fall, in the dead of night, whenever you call! So please don’t fight these hands that are holding you! His hands are holding you!” God will never leave you or forsake you!! “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. “(Isaiah 40:29-31) God will always be there for you and he listens to your every need!!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Abby was a young girl with an incredible amount of faith: Hannah Middleton
I recently heard about this amazing girl named Abby. I’ve never met her though. Its kinda weird to think about admiring someone you don’t know, but its possible because I admire her so much! This incredible young lady just went to be with the Lord and I know that she is up there singing praises to our almighty God. I had heard a little bit about her because she was my friend’s cousin, but not too much. As her life started unfolding, and I heard more and more things about her, I began to love this girl. Katie Sherrod says, “We were so encouraged when we read Abby's letter to her cousin, Hannah, that beautifully expressed her understanding of death after the heavenly departure of her 16 year old friend, Landon. She wrote the following:"I have a peace about Landon's death....I know God has a plan but one does want to ask why He would take the life of someone so young who was living for Jesus. Couldn't have God used him better on this earth? When I ask these questions, two things come to mind:
1. There are just some things we will never understand.
2. 'Better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere' (Psalm 84:10)
If we could see what Landon is seeing now, we would never want him back!"Abby got it! "To live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21)." To see so much faith and in such a young girl is overwhelming! It seemed as if God was preparing Abby for when she died.
Last summer Abby went to visit her cousins here in Tyler. When she returned home, she wrote a letter to each of them telling them a characteristic that she liked about them and giving them each a Bible verse. She wrote one to Jordan saying:
Dear Jordan,
Continue to look to Him for guidance in your life and encourage others to do the same you and me have been given extra responsibility in our family, cause we are the oldest so we have even more pressure than our siblings. It’s scary if you really think about it! We have a lot of eyes watching us to see how we react to life. Love continues to run the race and fight the fight because we have a bunch of young soldiers learning from us. Proverbs 10:17 says, “He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.”
She was younger and yet she still encouraged others who were older. Also, her cousin told of an amazing miracle which happened before her death.
Becky writes, “As a testimony of God’s sovereignty I must share this story. On Tuesday March 31st (the day before Abby went to be with Jesus) I was heading home from class. I was listening to my ipod as I always do when I ride the Tiger Transit. I had it on Chris Tomlin shuffling (songs come up randomly). “I will Rise” began to play… I’ve heard the song one or two times on the radio but I had never listened to it all the way through. It usually takes me around 15 minutes to get home when I ride the Transit. By the time I reached my duplex I had listened to the song 4 or 5 times. I fell in love with the song. In my heart I kept feeling like I needed to go home and learn this song, the Lord had placed this huge burden on my heart that it needed to be learned that day, not tomorrow, and not Thursday. So I drove over to my parents and called the kids downstairs (Whit, Ans, and Little) and explained that I had heard this song and felt like we should learn it. I told them I thought we might sing it in church soon… So immediately we began to learn it. This NEVER happens by the way. I taught them parts and I learned it on the piano within hours. The kids loved it! It was on my heart all day, and the lyrics played over and over in my head. I continued on with my day, went to my last class and wrapped up my day later on that night. Mom called me around 6:50 am on Wednesday April 1st. She told me that Abby had gone to be with Jesus. As I stated above, I was floored. I could NOT believe it. When I hung up, immediately “I will rise when he calls my name no more sorrow, no more pain………” came to mind. The lyrics began to play in my head again. It was then that I KNEW the Lord had given me this song on Tuesday to prepare my heart for the news I had received. An hour or so after mom had called me, I text Uncle Ty (Abby’s dad) and told him he HAD to listen to this song ASAP! A little while later he replied with this, “Beck, yesterday (Tues.) on the way home from the doctor, Abby heard that song on the radio in the car with Traci (Abby’s mom) and she said, “Mom that is MY song!”” That is the sovereignty of God, friends. He knows our hearts, He knows our struggles, He knows our pain, and He knows the number of our days. He was preparing my heart for the news I’d received and He was preparing Abby’s heart for eternity with Him. Aunt Katie and Uncle Chris were coming from Tyler, TX on Wednesday – they heard the song in the car as well and Aunt Katie had written it down, thinking this might be a good song for the celebration service. Little did she know, the Lord had already taught it to me and given it to Abby the day before. God is good.”God is so amazing! He works every little detail out before it happens! (the lyrics for the song are posted below)
1. There are just some things we will never understand.
2. 'Better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere' (Psalm 84:10)
If we could see what Landon is seeing now, we would never want him back!"Abby got it! "To live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21)." To see so much faith and in such a young girl is overwhelming! It seemed as if God was preparing Abby for when she died.
Last summer Abby went to visit her cousins here in Tyler. When she returned home, she wrote a letter to each of them telling them a characteristic that she liked about them and giving them each a Bible verse. She wrote one to Jordan saying:
Dear Jordan,
Continue to look to Him for guidance in your life and encourage others to do the same you and me have been given extra responsibility in our family, cause we are the oldest so we have even more pressure than our siblings. It’s scary if you really think about it! We have a lot of eyes watching us to see how we react to life. Love continues to run the race and fight the fight because we have a bunch of young soldiers learning from us. Proverbs 10:17 says, “He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.”
She was younger and yet she still encouraged others who were older. Also, her cousin told of an amazing miracle which happened before her death.
Becky writes, “As a testimony of God’s sovereignty I must share this story. On Tuesday March 31st (the day before Abby went to be with Jesus) I was heading home from class. I was listening to my ipod as I always do when I ride the Tiger Transit. I had it on Chris Tomlin shuffling (songs come up randomly). “I will Rise” began to play… I’ve heard the song one or two times on the radio but I had never listened to it all the way through. It usually takes me around 15 minutes to get home when I ride the Transit. By the time I reached my duplex I had listened to the song 4 or 5 times. I fell in love with the song. In my heart I kept feeling like I needed to go home and learn this song, the Lord had placed this huge burden on my heart that it needed to be learned that day, not tomorrow, and not Thursday. So I drove over to my parents and called the kids downstairs (Whit, Ans, and Little) and explained that I had heard this song and felt like we should learn it. I told them I thought we might sing it in church soon… So immediately we began to learn it. This NEVER happens by the way. I taught them parts and I learned it on the piano within hours. The kids loved it! It was on my heart all day, and the lyrics played over and over in my head. I continued on with my day, went to my last class and wrapped up my day later on that night. Mom called me around 6:50 am on Wednesday April 1st. She told me that Abby had gone to be with Jesus. As I stated above, I was floored. I could NOT believe it. When I hung up, immediately “I will rise when he calls my name no more sorrow, no more pain………” came to mind. The lyrics began to play in my head again. It was then that I KNEW the Lord had given me this song on Tuesday to prepare my heart for the news I had received. An hour or so after mom had called me, I text Uncle Ty (Abby’s dad) and told him he HAD to listen to this song ASAP! A little while later he replied with this, “Beck, yesterday (Tues.) on the way home from the doctor, Abby heard that song on the radio in the car with Traci (Abby’s mom) and she said, “Mom that is MY song!”” That is the sovereignty of God, friends. He knows our hearts, He knows our struggles, He knows our pain, and He knows the number of our days. He was preparing my heart for the news I’d received and He was preparing Abby’s heart for eternity with Him. Aunt Katie and Uncle Chris were coming from Tyler, TX on Wednesday – they heard the song in the car as well and Aunt Katie had written it down, thinking this might be a good song for the celebration service. Little did she know, the Lord had already taught it to me and given it to Abby the day before. God is good.”God is so amazing! He works every little detail out before it happens! (the lyrics for the song are posted below)
Abigail Ford: Jordan Sherrod (cousin)
Abigail Ford-
My cousin is in complete and absolute satisfaction. She is dwelling in the sight of Love, Joy, and Peace. I am so Jealous of her, and her ability to now stand in an everlasting Glory that would blind us at the smallest glimpse of it!! In the Book of Ezekiel, several times it talks about Ezekiel seeing the glory of God, simply the GLORY of God, not even God, and every time Ezekiel sees it "Coming" he falls flat on his face in Pure awe. I am so Jealous that Abby can now stand in the presence of my Master and withstand his Glory and soak in the overwhelming warmth that explodes from the very heart of GOD!!!! like she said, "If we were to see her now, we would never want her back."............but we can't see her. We can only imagine. And until we get there too, we are going to have to be reminded, constantly, that she IS in a better place. I miss her so much. My cousin accomplished in fourteen years, what some people have accomplished in what we humans call a "lifetime". Sometimes I really do wish I could die and join her, and I'm sure a lot of other people think the same way.....but that would mean giving up the Mission. Failing, on purpose. That is not what we were sent here to do. Why was she here? She was here to serve her master, and she did it whole-heartedly. That's why we are here, to serve our master, and until he calls me into his presence I am going to stay here and accomplish my mission that my King has sent me on. So when we think of Abby, we don't think of her as a comrade that has tragically fallen in a battle during the mission, but we think of her as a Glorious soldier who has finally completed the mission that her king sent her on and now stands by the side of her King receiving the glorious rewards that are given to her for completing the mission, code named, "life".
Some people could care less about what their quest in life is, but Abby was a God-centered, Bible-saturated, Kindom-seekin', Jesus-Lovin', kind-hearted, Peace-finding, Joy-filled, happy-hearted, Prayer warrior who sought out the Kingdom and His will with all her heart.
So many times, when I was discouraged, she came over to me and encouraged me with sweet, gentle words that reflected the righteousness of God. Even when she was in the midst of turmoil and sorrow, she managed to encourage everyone around her.
Were going to miss her and it sure will be hard, but at least we have our King, and Abby's King, who will be "By our side wherever we fall, in the dead of night whenever we call so please don't fight the hands that are holding you. HIS hands are holding you."
-Jordan
My cousin is in complete and absolute satisfaction. She is dwelling in the sight of Love, Joy, and Peace. I am so Jealous of her, and her ability to now stand in an everlasting Glory that would blind us at the smallest glimpse of it!! In the Book of Ezekiel, several times it talks about Ezekiel seeing the glory of God, simply the GLORY of God, not even God, and every time Ezekiel sees it "Coming" he falls flat on his face in Pure awe. I am so Jealous that Abby can now stand in the presence of my Master and withstand his Glory and soak in the overwhelming warmth that explodes from the very heart of GOD!!!! like she said, "If we were to see her now, we would never want her back."............but we can't see her. We can only imagine. And until we get there too, we are going to have to be reminded, constantly, that she IS in a better place. I miss her so much. My cousin accomplished in fourteen years, what some people have accomplished in what we humans call a "lifetime". Sometimes I really do wish I could die and join her, and I'm sure a lot of other people think the same way.....but that would mean giving up the Mission. Failing, on purpose. That is not what we were sent here to do. Why was she here? She was here to serve her master, and she did it whole-heartedly. That's why we are here, to serve our master, and until he calls me into his presence I am going to stay here and accomplish my mission that my King has sent me on. So when we think of Abby, we don't think of her as a comrade that has tragically fallen in a battle during the mission, but we think of her as a Glorious soldier who has finally completed the mission that her king sent her on and now stands by the side of her King receiving the glorious rewards that are given to her for completing the mission, code named, "life".
Some people could care less about what their quest in life is, but Abby was a God-centered, Bible-saturated, Kindom-seekin', Jesus-Lovin', kind-hearted, Peace-finding, Joy-filled, happy-hearted, Prayer warrior who sought out the Kingdom and His will with all her heart.
So many times, when I was discouraged, she came over to me and encouraged me with sweet, gentle words that reflected the righteousness of God. Even when she was in the midst of turmoil and sorrow, she managed to encourage everyone around her.
Were going to miss her and it sure will be hard, but at least we have our King, and Abby's King, who will be "By our side wherever we fall, in the dead of night whenever we call so please don't fight the hands that are holding you. HIS hands are holding you."
-Jordan
Grieving with hope: Chris Sherrod (uncle)
In John 14:19 Jesus promised, “Because I live, you also will live.”
- We grieve with hope because then we will see Jesus Christ – the hope of glory, our all-surpassing, all-satisfying Treasure, the Author and Finisher of our Faith; He is our LIFE – “To live is Christ and to die is gain!” (Phil 1:21). Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory!” The book of Isaiah was one of Abby’s favorites and just the other day she asked about the passage where Isaiah sees the Lord… “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke” (Isaiah 6:1-4). What a glorious picture – Abby and her Papaw, healed and whole, dancing and worshipping around the Throne, singing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise, for ever and ever!” (Rev 5:12-13)
- We grieve with hope because Jesus Himself now has Abby in His arms. When Abby was eleven, Ty took her out on a date and gave her a Promise Ring. He said to her, “I am promising you that I will love you and cherish you and protect you. And I will do my best to bring you up in the training and instruction of the Lord. And one day when someone comes along that I can completely trust to love you and cherish you and protect you, then I will pass my responsibility on to him.” Wednesday morning, as Abby’s body lay in the emergency room, Ty noticed her hand with the Promise Ring still on it resting out of the sheet. And he realized at that moment that he had kept his promise and that Someone now had her in His arms who was perfectly strong and perfectly able to love and protect her and hold her forever. And so, as he slipped this very ring off her finger, Ty leaned over and whispered, “You are beautiful. Jesus has you now.”
So yes, we mourn, we weep, we miss our sweet Abby – but we do not mourn like those who have no hope. And we also rejoice because of what she left us. We rejoice in her life that brought joy and encouragement through her compassionate and servant’s heart, and her eyes that saw the needs of others and so she spoke words of life and Truth to us. Her hunger and thirst for righteousness reminds us to seek what matters. Her radiance – even in trials – was a reflection of her King, and Abby’s life was adorned with the precious jewels of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight (1 Peter 3:4).But some of you here today can’t rejoice. You are mourning without hope. Death for you is not a doorway ushering you into the presence of your Savior and the Treasure you have valued above all things and longed to see. Death for you is a dead end, an uncertain, vague, unknown event. Let me tell you that you have cause to fear death. Hebrews 9:27 says that each of us are “destined to die once and after that to face judgment.” And God is a perfect, holy and righteous Judge who holds us accountable for every thought, motive, action and careless word. So here is our dilemma: God’s holiness demands perfect obedience, but we don’t have perfect obedience. We are rightfully under the wrath of God. When Isaiah saw God’s glory, he was immediately overwhelmed with his own sinfulness (“Woe to me!” v. 5).
But there is still hope for you; God provided a solution: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rm 5:8) and Christ became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21), taking God’s wrath for our sin upon Himself and providing perfect righteousness for all who would believe – the perfect obedience that I couldn’t offer! For those who trust Christ, we can say, “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 5:9), and also, “there is now condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Rm 8:1).
Psalm 16:8-11 says, “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
On Abby’s tombstone there will be two dates – her birth date and her homecoming date. In between those dates will be a dash. That dash represents the Christ-centered life Abby lived on earth for an audience of One. So here are two crucial questions: 1.) What are you doing with your dash? Are you chasing what matters or chasing what is meaningless in God’s Kingdom? Abby chose, for example, to invest in God’s Word and prayer. She chose to use e-mail, Facebook and letters as a way to spread the message of God’s love to everyone she knew. 2.) When your second date arrives, will it be a glorious homecoming and joyful reunion, or a fearful moment of judgment because you didn’t accept God’s free offer of forgiveness and righteousness through Jesus Christ?
And so, because of Christ, we trade…our loss for life, tragedy for Truth, sorrow for joy, weakness for strength, heartache for hope and rest, fear and discouragement for courage, devastation and despair for deliverance, turmoil and anger for peace and grace, emptiness for fullness in Christ, sickness and brokenness for healing, guilt for forgiveness and confidence, loss of control for trust in God’s sovereign and perfect plan.
Thanks be to God, we have been rescued! 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 says, “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin [which has been paid for!], and the power of sin is the law [which has been perfectly fulfilled in Christ!]. Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- We grieve with hope because then we will see Jesus Christ – the hope of glory, our all-surpassing, all-satisfying Treasure, the Author and Finisher of our Faith; He is our LIFE – “To live is Christ and to die is gain!” (Phil 1:21). Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory!” The book of Isaiah was one of Abby’s favorites and just the other day she asked about the passage where Isaiah sees the Lord… “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke” (Isaiah 6:1-4). What a glorious picture – Abby and her Papaw, healed and whole, dancing and worshipping around the Throne, singing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise, for ever and ever!” (Rev 5:12-13)
- We grieve with hope because Jesus Himself now has Abby in His arms. When Abby was eleven, Ty took her out on a date and gave her a Promise Ring. He said to her, “I am promising you that I will love you and cherish you and protect you. And I will do my best to bring you up in the training and instruction of the Lord. And one day when someone comes along that I can completely trust to love you and cherish you and protect you, then I will pass my responsibility on to him.” Wednesday morning, as Abby’s body lay in the emergency room, Ty noticed her hand with the Promise Ring still on it resting out of the sheet. And he realized at that moment that he had kept his promise and that Someone now had her in His arms who was perfectly strong and perfectly able to love and protect her and hold her forever. And so, as he slipped this very ring off her finger, Ty leaned over and whispered, “You are beautiful. Jesus has you now.”
So yes, we mourn, we weep, we miss our sweet Abby – but we do not mourn like those who have no hope. And we also rejoice because of what she left us. We rejoice in her life that brought joy and encouragement through her compassionate and servant’s heart, and her eyes that saw the needs of others and so she spoke words of life and Truth to us. Her hunger and thirst for righteousness reminds us to seek what matters. Her radiance – even in trials – was a reflection of her King, and Abby’s life was adorned with the precious jewels of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight (1 Peter 3:4).But some of you here today can’t rejoice. You are mourning without hope. Death for you is not a doorway ushering you into the presence of your Savior and the Treasure you have valued above all things and longed to see. Death for you is a dead end, an uncertain, vague, unknown event. Let me tell you that you have cause to fear death. Hebrews 9:27 says that each of us are “destined to die once and after that to face judgment.” And God is a perfect, holy and righteous Judge who holds us accountable for every thought, motive, action and careless word. So here is our dilemma: God’s holiness demands perfect obedience, but we don’t have perfect obedience. We are rightfully under the wrath of God. When Isaiah saw God’s glory, he was immediately overwhelmed with his own sinfulness (“Woe to me!” v. 5).
But there is still hope for you; God provided a solution: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rm 5:8) and Christ became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21), taking God’s wrath for our sin upon Himself and providing perfect righteousness for all who would believe – the perfect obedience that I couldn’t offer! For those who trust Christ, we can say, “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 5:9), and also, “there is now condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Rm 8:1).
Psalm 16:8-11 says, “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
On Abby’s tombstone there will be two dates – her birth date and her homecoming date. In between those dates will be a dash. That dash represents the Christ-centered life Abby lived on earth for an audience of One. So here are two crucial questions: 1.) What are you doing with your dash? Are you chasing what matters or chasing what is meaningless in God’s Kingdom? Abby chose, for example, to invest in God’s Word and prayer. She chose to use e-mail, Facebook and letters as a way to spread the message of God’s love to everyone she knew. 2.) When your second date arrives, will it be a glorious homecoming and joyful reunion, or a fearful moment of judgment because you didn’t accept God’s free offer of forgiveness and righteousness through Jesus Christ?
And so, because of Christ, we trade…our loss for life, tragedy for Truth, sorrow for joy, weakness for strength, heartache for hope and rest, fear and discouragement for courage, devastation and despair for deliverance, turmoil and anger for peace and grace, emptiness for fullness in Christ, sickness and brokenness for healing, guilt for forgiveness and confidence, loss of control for trust in God’s sovereign and perfect plan.
Thanks be to God, we have been rescued! 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 says, “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin [which has been paid for!], and the power of sin is the law [which has been perfectly fulfilled in Christ!]. Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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