Our Future Hope

I've recently been pondering this Truth ~

Our future hope is Austin's present joy.

What an amazing thought ~
How much we have to look forward to!
May we have the grace to patiently persevere.

God is always Good.

His ways are always best.

He is sufficient in all things.

It is a precious blessing to belong to Him!

With Love,
Camille

**Image courtesy of my little 'Em ~ 
Thank you my love!  XO

How Do We Prepare?

Trials.  How are we to prepare for them?

It's not *if* the trials come ~ it's *when*.

We are not promised a pathway of ease and comfort.
On the contrary.  If we belong to the Lord,
we will face difficulties.  Troubles.  Trials.

It's what we are often called to.
For His glory.  For our good.

Difficulties help to wean us from this world and prepare us for the next.
Trials and troubles refine and sanctify our hearts that we
might be more useful in our Lord's Kingdom here and for all eternity.
All these things are applied to our hearts lovingly
by our gracious Heavenly Father.  He does all things well.  All the time.

So, how do we prepare?  
Is it possible to be prepared?

This question has been posed to us in recent days.
There actually is an answer.  And, it's yes.
Yes, we can prepare.  Yes, we ought to prepare.
Yes, there is something that can be done.



Begin by searching out Who our Great God is.
Study His character.  Dig into His Word.
Equip yourself with Truth so that in the evil day 
you will be able to stand.

Great resources for learning more about the 
attributes of the God of Heaven are readily available.
The London Baptist Confession of Faith ~ 1689
is a wonderful document full of doctrine.  Doctrine = Truth.

It was compiled by a number of godly men
in the 1600's in England who purposed to chisel out
the great doctrines of our faith, and write them down in a concise
manner, so that they could refer their congregations to it.
It was a point of reference to which they could all return
again and again to fortify themselves in what is true.
It would be used to keep error from creeping in.

It is not meant to replace the Bible.
In fact, it is full of God's Word as proof texts for the statements
that they made.  It's a wonderful supplement to the Bible.
It sums up the fundamentals of our faith.  It is deep and it is rich. 



Daily devotional times in God's Word and prayer is important.
If we want to grow and learn, we must have these times of quiet.
Our all-time favourite devotional book is Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening".
Time and time again it has been a great blessing full of wise words
and deep encouragement for our troubled hearts.

I prefer the original KJV rendition as it has Spurgeon's
words unaltered contained within its pages.  He was a master with words.
He is commonly referred to as the Prince of Preachers.
That's my little endorsement of the original work.  :)

Filling our minds with Truth in the form of godly preaching is imperative.
Attending a church where God's Word is faithfully preached is necessary.
Surrounding ourselves with godly friends is wise.
Memorising Scripture is such a precious blessing to 
the heart of the Christian.  Those words hidden in the heart
will return in times of deepest distress to comfort the soul.

My recent favourite verses are these ~

"Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name;
thou art mine.  When thou passest through the waters,
I will be with thee: and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour."
~ Isaiah 43:1b-3a ~



Another wonderful book full of faith-building and
encouraging words is "Trusting God" by Jerry Bridges.
This book has been such a blessing to our hearts.  
It's so full of wisdom and truth.  
It's not a quick read.  There is so much to digest.
But, it is so worth the effort in order to glean from Mr. Bridges' insights.

So, yes.  The answer is a resounding yes!

We can prepare for trials.  We do not have to fear them.
We have been given precious promises by our Great God
that He will never leave nor forsake His own.
He is Faithful.  He will never give more than we can bear.
Of course, at times we will feel like it is much more than we are able to bear!  
But, in the spiritual sense it never will be.  It's His promise.
We move forward following the Lord as our Shepherd.

In His strength.  By His grace.  With His peace and comfort.

"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, 
in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake:
for when I am weak, then am I strong."
~ II Corinthians 12:9-10 ~

Only with Him.  Only in Him.  Only Him in us.

Many Blessings,
Camille

Time Stands Still

Our Austin is outside of time.

For now, we live within it.

That means that Calvin, Fraser and Emma

will catch up to their big brother in age.

If the Lord allows, they will pass him.

In this way ~ Time stands still.

It's a strange thing, really.
I never thought I would live longer than any of our children.
I thought they would all outlive me.
However, that was not to be.

Our desire for each of our children is that they
would love and serve and follow the Lord all their days.
And that they would go to live with Him in Heaven for all eternity.
I never expected that any would be called Home first.

But, one has.
Our Austin has gone before us.

~ Calvin, Fraser, Austin, and Emma in 2004 ~

Our destiny is the same.
Not for anything good in us.
But, because of the goodness of our Saviour.
He is perfect.  He lived perfectly.
He died to pay the penalty for the sins of His people.
That each one might be made acceptable with God.
So that one day we might go live with Him for all eternity.

What an incredible thought!

May the peace that comes from these truths be yours.
May you know without any doubt where you will spend eternity.
If you are not sure where that will be,
Please seek the Lord while He may be found.

"...behold, now is the day of salvation." 
~ I Corinthians 6:2b ~

"...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved..." 
~ Acts 16:31 ~

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
~ John 6:37 ~

Many Blessings,
Camille

The Harried Here and Now

It's easy to do.  I admit it.

Easy to get caught up in the here and now.

Easy to forget that this is not our Home.

The Lord is gracious to send us trials to wean us 

little by little from this world.
To cause us to cling to Him more closely.
And rely on Him more deeply.

To make us long for Heaven more.

"...having lost sight of the "sweet by and by", too many Christians

busy themselves with the harried here and now,

and they themselves are consumed by consumable things."

"Because the church doesn't really have heaven on its mind,

Christians tend to be self-indulgent, self-centered, weak and materialistic.

Our present comforts consume too much of our thoughts, and it we're not careful, 

we end up entertaining wrong fantasies about heaven --

or thinking very little of heaven at all.

No Christian should ever fall into that trap."

Quoted from "The Glory of Heaven" by John MacArthur, page 65.

We are reading as much as we can on Heaven these days.
Since our precious Austin was called Home ~
 we find ourselves wanting to know more about where he is.
We are seeking to be careful to choose books from reliable sources, of course.
There has been much written on Heaven that is not Biblical at all.
The Bible must be our basis for formulating ideas about the eternal.

This book, among others, has been a great encouragement to our hearts.
Truly, if we are the Lord's, then Heaven is our Home.  
We are just sojourning here as long as our Lord deems best.
For as long as He desires to use us here.

Until He calls us there.

How precious it is to rest in His perfect plan.
How precious to know that our times really are in His hands.
May we live for His glory each and every day.
May we be used to promote His Kingdom and serve Him.

By His grace and in His strength.
Moment by moment.  Day by day.
As long as He gives us breath.

With love,
Camille

**Photo in this post courtesy of our Calvin ~
Thank you my love!  XO

Comforting Words

Our precious Auntie Mary gave me a lovely little book

on one of her recent visits to Canada.

I put it into my purse thinking I would read 
snippets of it here and there.

It's full of short quotes from letters which 
Samuel Rutherford wrote nearly 400 years ago.

Recently, I took it out of my purse so I could take it along
on a day trip to visit my friend on the Island.
The trip required over three hours on the ferry ~ lots of time for reading.

I found it to be full of rich nuggets

that ministered to my grieving Mama heart.

Such encouragement, comfort and truth

can be discovered within its pages.  It's precious.

I am sharing a few lines from this little book here today.

May these words be used to encourage your heart as they have mine.

"They are not lost to you that are laid up in Christ's treasury in Heaven.
At the resurrection ye shall meet with them: 
there they are, sent before, but not sent away.
Your Lord loveth you, who is homely to take and give,
borrow and lend."

~ Calvin, Austin and Fraser Circa 2002 ~

"She is not sent away, but only sent before,
like unto a star, which going out of your sight, doth not die and vanish,
but shineth in another hemisphere:
ye see her not, yet she doth shine in another country."

"The child hath but changed a bed in the garden,
and is planted up higher, nearer the sun,
where he shall thrive better than in this out-field moor-ground."

Comforting words?  Absolutely.

Many Blessings,
Camille

**All quotes in this post are taken from Samuel Rutherford's

"The Loveliness of Christ" ~ a rare gem of a book!

Only a Moment

A few Sundays ago, after the service, a precious friend

took time to talk and listen and encourage.

She said something that has been such a blessing to my heart.

"The days are long, but, the years are short."

It will only seem a moment before we are ushered into glory.
Life here is temporary.  Life there is permanent.

Helpful words?  Yes.  Comforting?  Absolutely.

Every elderly person I have ever spoken to

says the same thing ~ life flies by!

And, in the twinkling of an eye ~ eternity begins.
It happens this way for all of us.
The big questions, in light of this, are these ~

Where will we spend it?  Where will we go?  Are we ready?

It is not on our own merit that we are welcomed into Heaven.

It is all the Lord's.  All of it.  We depend on His works.  Not ours.
The Lord Jesus Christ's perfect life lived on our behalf.  
The complete and perfect payment of the penalty 
for the sin of His people.  He took our sins upon Himself,
in order that He could bestow His perfection on us.

The Lamb of God.  We must look to Him.  Trust in Him.

Surrender to Him ~ completely and utterly.

In His work alone is Salvation to be found.
It's the only way.  He is the only way.

What is He to you?  Is your peace found in Him?
Is He your all in all?  Do you trust Him with your never dying soul?
 Settle with Him before the time He has granted you is gone.
Before we know it, it will be!
We all face the same reality.  Time is short.
We only have this moment ~ none other is guaranteed.

Flee to Christ while He may be found!

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
~ John 6:37 ~

The best way to be found of Him is to read His Word.
Begin by reading Genesis, and then read the book of John.
His Word, the Bible, is True.  It's Powerful.
The words can only change us if the words are read.
We can only be changed by the power of the Living God.  By His Grace.
In light of this, please ask the Lord to open your eyes to see and
enlighten your heart to understand.  He is able.  He is merciful.
And, He graciously answers prayers like those.

The greatest thing in all of life is to belong to Him.
Be sure you are His and He is yours ~ nothing is more important.  
Nothing.

Many Blessings,
Camille

**Photo in this post courtesy of Calvin ~
Thank you my love!  XO

The Only Way Forward ~ Ten Weeks

There are times when my breath catches in my throat ~
 it seems as though I may suffocate with the reality we are facing.

When I try to comprehend what it is that we've been called to,
 a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach rises up and threatens to overtake.
When the tears come, as they often do ~
it feels as though they might overwhelm me.
It's a difficult road we have been called to.  Almost crushing.

Austin's absence is felt.  
Keenly.  Everywhere. In everything.
We miss him so very, very much!  

Everything we do is shaded by the grief we are dealing with.
In the midst of this sorrow, however, there are happy times.  
It's the nature of life this side of eternity.
There is conflict in my soul over the reality of it.

How is it possible to be both happy and sad at 
almost precisely the same moment?
It does seem to be contradictory.  But, it isn't.
It is who we are.  Who we are becoming. 
This journey is being used to shape us.  
We are among those who have tasted bitter sorrow and continue to live.
To experience both sadness and happiness 
in this way is not unusual.  We are not unique.

To accurately put it all into words, 
however, is impossible.

~ Calvin, Fraser and Austin circa 2003 ~

Tomorrow marks ten weeks since the LORD called our
precious Austin Home to Heaven.  
Ten Weeks.  Such a long time.  Such a short time.
There is still more to come.  Much more.
It can be crushing to think this through to its end.
Life without our Austin here can be unbearable to imagine.

But, then we remember.  
We reign ourselves in.  We must!

We remind ourselves of the LORD's promises.  
We remember that He is Faithful.  And, that He is Sovereign.
We remember that He is Good and Perfect.
And, that His ways are always best.

 He will never leave nor forsake His own.
His ways are right.  He carries His people through.
Moment by moment.  Day by day.  One step at a time.
He truly does all things well.

It is not blind faith to live like this.
Rather, it is the only way forward through this maze of grief.
We cannot comprehend walking this path without our Lord.
By God's great grace, we do not have to!
He is with us each step of the way.

And the waters will not overflow ~
It's one of His promises to His people.

 ~ Emma and Austin circa 2003 ~

Throughout these days, we seek to remind ourselves of Austin's gain.

His gain, rather than our loss.  Our loss is great.  But, his gain is greater.
He is experiencing many, many blessings ~ we try to keep our thoughts fixed there.
We focus on what is True.  We focus on Heaven and its reality.
We focus on the Lord and His Word.
We point one another continually to these precious things.

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."
~ I Corinthians 2:9 ~

It's then that the comfort comes.  Only then.

It's then that the breathing becomes easier.  Only then.
It's then that my mind is calmed.  Only then.

Only when my eyes are focused on the Truth.

The reality that Austin continues to live ~ in Heaven rather than here.
The reality that Heaven really is our Home.
The reality that we will soon be there as well.

While I ponder these things, I am able to rejoice.

I can rejoice in the fact that Austin is now free.

Free from sin and death and suffering.

Free from this world and all its vices.

Free to worship unhindered.

Truly free!

One day, we will be set free as well.

This is not our home.  Heaven is.
May we live like it.  May we be patient for it.
May the Lord enable us to be useful while we remain here.
For HIS Glory.  By HIS Grace.  In HIS Strength.

With Love,
Camille

How is it Possible?

Joy in sorrow.  Sustained through intense grief.
Walking the path the LORD calls His people to with
grace and strength and courage.

How is it possible?  

How many times have we wondered at this?

When we think of the martyrs who were tied to the stake

and burned there for their faith, we wonder ~ How?

How could they do it?  How was it that they did not crumble?

Where did their courage and strength come from?
How were they able to sing in the midst of the flames?

The answer?  Supernatural Power.

Given by the God of Heaven and Earth.

From the One who created all things from nothing.
From the One who gives life and sustains it.

He is the One from whom their strength came.
He is the One who gave the grace.

They were bolstered up from within.

By God's Grace.  For His glory.

They were carried.  Met in their need.  

They were given all they required in that moment of time.

And for all the events that followed.
They were sustained by Him ~ just as He promised.

Remember what Stephen saw when he was taken to be stoned?

The LORD allowed him a glimpse into Heaven.

He declared it and boldly proclaimed what he saw. 
How powerful his testimony was ~ how precious!
(See Acts 7:54-60)

I cannot compare the bravery of these ones

with our recent experience of burying our precious son, Austin.
But, I can say that throughout these days and weeks
the LORD has not forsaken us ~ He has carried us.
He has provided much grace and strength and peace in the midst of it all.
There is nothing to compare with the comfort He gives.

It is with bold confidence that I can say ~
He will be Faithful to give grace for the journey.
Whatever it is that He calls His people to ~
 He will meet them in it with all that they will need.

It's only possible with Him.
Anything is possible with Him.

We must not rely on ourselves.
We draw strength from His Word and prayer.
We must continually redirect our attention to His Truth.
We comfort ourselves with the doctrine of His Sovereignty.
And, we look to Him each step of the journey He calls us to.
It really is the only way.  HE is the only Way.

May He grant to you His grace and strength and peace
in whatever He calls you to ~ He is Faithful.

Much Love,
Camille

**Photo in this post courtesy of Emma ~
Thank you my love.  XO

When Plans Are Thwarted

How do we react when our plans are thwarted?

Do we see it as from the hand of a Loving God?

Or, is it something we view as an intrusion ~

An interruption?

Our Uncle Johnny, who is now with the LORD,

was very wise and godly.

He said on more than one occasion ~

"Every interruption is ordained of God."

~ Uncle Johnny with the boys circa 2002 ~

How that alters our perspective!

Directly from HIS hand?

How much easier it is to accept

when we view everything in this light.

We are owned by Him and our times are in His hand.
May we submit ourselves to all He does in our lives.
And, may we rejoice in the fact that
He is with us through everything He brings our way.
By His grace ~ For His glory.  

With Love,
Camille

Just Passing Through

This blog is a little slice of our lives.

It's been a place to share my heart in both good times and bad.

It's been a place to share the love of the LORD and His Truth.

Recipes and funny moments and my journal of thanks 

have all been recorded here.

Snippets of the everyday have been treasured up.
  

Piece by piece.  Moment by moment.

Life is just like that...don't you think?

All jumbled up and mixed together and rolled into one.

The good and the bad and the humorous and the painful ~

The regular and the extraordinary. 

These are the things that make up our lives.

What a blessing it is that we do not know the future before it's given to us.

God is Gracious and meets us in the moments.

He walks before us.  He is Faithful.  He does all things well.

These last many weeks we have been thrown into a

new season ~ one in which Austin is only included in our memories.

We are making new ones without him.

We think in terms of before Austin died and after.

It's surreal.  It's difficult.  And, yet...life does go on.

As much as we would like life to stop and stand still awhile ~ It doesn't.  

Why doesn't it?  Why can't it?

It's a mercy, really.  

The way it works is designed by a Loving God.
He has orchestrated it to be so.  Yes, we live.  And, so does Austin.  

He lives in his eternal Home and we live here until the LORD takes us there.
Interesting how that is.  We are just passing through.  

Our Austin has arrived.  Ahead of us.

We will never forget him.

We think of him each and every day.

In fact, we think of him multiple times throughout the day.

He naturally comes up in conversation and in the quiet of our hearts.

We must continually remind ourselves that he is complete now.

His earthly pilgrimage has come to its close.

We are still on ours.

So, we must be faithful.  We must serve.

We must live and obey and follow.

Until that day when we are called Home.

Whenever that may be.

In the days to come, I will remember ~ Austin will be part of that.

He will make his way into posts ~ he is still part of our family.

In moving forward, we are not moving on.

We are just following ~ Austin has gone on ahead.

May we live in such a way as to complete our journey well.

May we be found following our Saviour each step of the way.

Wherever He may lead ~ just as our precious Austin did.

By HIS grace.  For HIS glory.  Alone.

With Love,
Camille

**Photo courtesy of my Uncle Gordon ~
Thank you SO much!  XO

When Someone is Grieving

**This post is not a plea for further help ~ 
Please understand that we have been very well cared for!
Thank you to each one of you who has carried us in so many ways.  :)

It is, however, meant to be an encouragement to those of you who may have the 
opportunity to walk along side someone who is grieving now or in the future.
It is a great blessing to be able to walk through the valley with another.

**I can only write this post due to having been shown love and care
in the many following practical ways ~ I certainly had no idea how much was involved.
Many of you will already know all these things...but, I didn't!  

In our recent days of intense grieving, we were showered
with much love and practical help.
Cards, flowers, emails and voice messages were kindly sent to us.

Meals were delivered to our door ~ some came frozen and some came fresh.

Loved ones came along to just sit and brain storm and execute the plans being made.

Ironing and dishes and general tidying up were done.
Many helped with the graveside and memorial services
as well as the luncheon that followed.
Little and not so little *unknown* things were done behind the scenes.
It's been overwhelming to be on the receiving end of such loving care.

I cannot begin to tell you what a blessing it all has been.

When people offered to help, they were given something to do.
Sometimes the one grieving doesn't even know what needs doing.
Ask those closest to them how you may help ~ they likely will know.

It can be a difficult thing to know what to say or do when someone is grieving.
Especially if you've never gone through a similar type of loss.
Eventually, however, we will all experience grief of one sort or another.

We all grieve differently.  But, I think we are all similar in this one thing ~

We surely are blessed to be loved through the process.

There are so many ways in which love can be shown.

A listening ear without saying much ~ just *being there*.
Encourage the one grieving to share what's on their 
heart or just hug them while they cry.

Helping out in practical ways is another loving thing to do ~ 
provide a meal or something else needed.

Perhaps come along side with helping hands to iron or clean or?

There may be times when the one grieving will want to talk it out.
They will want to remember their precious loved one ~
and they will want you to remember him or her as well.
Some memories will stir up tears and others will generate smiles.

It's all normal.  The various displays of emotion are all part of the process.

We all grieve differently, and that's okay.

It's a good idea to go with their lead in these things.
Perhaps it will be too much to have memories brought up
at this tender time, or maybe it will be just what is needed.
The LORD will give wisdom to know when to talk and when to keep silent.
Those grieving will not always know what they need or even be able to articulate it.
Each of us, however, benefits from being pointed to Scripture and the Truth.

When you don't know what else to say or do ~ 
Prayer and sharing God's Word is always appropriate.

One fear that may be harboured in the heart of the one who has had to say 
goodbye to a loved one is that they will forget ~ that their loved one will be forgotten.
Help them remember.  When they are ready, share your memories.
In these ways the heart is comforted and the pain lessened.

Seek the LORD for opportunities to be a blessing.
Look for things to do that will ease the burden.
Write notes of encouragement that include Scripture.
And, most importantly ~ Pray!

Pray that the God of all comfort 
would give His peace and His grace and His strength.
Pray that joy would come in the morning.
Pray that they would not forget HIM in the midst of it all.
Pray for them the way you would like to be prayed for.

And, treat them how you would wish to be treated ~
It's a wonderful, beautiful thing.
By God's Grace, we have been cared for amazingly well ~
He has blessed us with such supportive and loving people!!
Thank you, each one of you, from the bottom of our hearts.
May the LORD help us to comfort others as you have comforted us.

With Love,
Camille

**Photos in this post courtesy of my Uncle Gordon ~
Thank you SO much!  XO

Carried

It's happened twice ~ this feeling of being carried.

When Austin had open heart surgery as a baby, and now.

It's precious to belong to the Family of our Great God.

He sustains.  He carries.  He keeps.

It's all of Him.  He is so good and kind and gentle.

We are blessed beyond measure.

In the past four weeks we have seen the hand of God in our lives.
We have been encouraged by HIS grace.  HIS mercies.  HIS peace.
Oh, there have been moments of sheer terror at the thought
of going on without our precious Austin living here with us.
There have been tears like never before.
Deep anguish that seems like it will overtake.

But, God meets us in our pain.
He encourages through HIS Word and prayer.
And, He sends people to be His hands and feet to us.
We have been carried in so many ways.

I cannot begin to tell you how precious it is.
To belong to HIS wonderful family is overwhelmingly amazing.
We praise Him for His hand upon us in this fierce storm.
He truly does carry and keep and provide.
He does all things well.

I cannot help but think of all that Austin has gained.
He has seen his Saviour face to face.
He has been worshipping Him in perfection for nearly a month.
He does not struggle with self or sin or the evil one any longer.
He is free from pain and suffering.
And, he is rejoicing with the blood bought saints who have gone on before.
Spurgeon, Uncle Johnny, Abraham, Joseph and so many more ~
They all are there together praising our precious LORD.

What a thought!

What more could a Mama want for her child?

In my flesh, I want him here.  With me.  With us.
But, God in His wise purposes has chosen a different path.
And, we must see that it is best.  It is painful, but, it is best.
Only the LORD can give this perspective.
It does not come naturally.  Not at all.

And, it is not easy.

How are we handling these realities?
Moment by moment.  Step by step.  Day by day.
One foot in front of the other.  With HIM.
It's the only way.  There really is no other option.

I continually have to reign in my thoughts.
I am not to imagine the future without Austin here with us.
Because the future here is not mine yet.  I don't own it.
I don't own my next breath ~ God does.
But, in this moment.  There is grace.  There is strength.
It's found in Christ Alone.  Only in Him.

We as Christians are promised a future with our Great God.
Austin has just gone ahead of us.  He lives because HE lives!
As my brother in law said at the memorial service ~
Austin just has had a change of address.
We will go to him one day because we will go to our LORD.
And, we will be together forever worshipping our Great Saviour
for all eternity.  It's a glorious thought!

There are currently three *must have* books on my list for the Christian.
If you do not have these books, might I humbly suggest
that you get your hands on a copy of each one?
The first is the Bible.  The Word of God.  It's our food.  We starve without it.
The second is CH Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" ~ so rich.  So encouraging.

And, the third?  I've been reading it for the past year off and on.
It's the type of book you could read and read and read again.
So full of Truth and faith building words....really, it's a gem.
"Trusting God Even When Life Hurts" by Jerry Bridges is the book I'm speaking of.
Please get your hands on a copy.  Please read it and drink it in.
It will fortify your soul and encourage your heart.




We all have struggles and trials to face at one time or another.
It's the nature of this life here on this earth.
How can we use these things to the strengthening of our character
and the deepening of our walk with God?
We must go through the valley with Him ~ praying each step
of the way that we would learn what He is seeking to teach.
We must seek Him for strength and grace to trust
Him even when we don't understand and to glorify Him in the midst of it all.

"Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name;

thou art mine.  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;

and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:

when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;

neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour."

~ Isaiah 43;1b-3a ~

HE is Faithful.  HE will walk the path with us.
And, no...the waters will not overflow.  The flame will not kindle upon us.
It's His promise to His people.  I can testify that it is true.

Much Love,
Camille