Playing Barbies in the Bathtub and Other Nonsense
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I meant to write this post on Sunday, the 21st. After all, it is a very important day in my life, it’s my grandson’s birthday. He would have been three years old. It’s also a sad day in my life because he was born, and he died, on the same day three years ago.
What’s worse is that five weeks before that, my granddaughter Ava had died. She was born on May 25, and she died on August 13. 2005 was the worst year of my life, the lowest point in my life, and the only time I think that I ever really wanted to commit suicide and do it right just to stop the pain?
So what does this have to do with playing Barbies in the bathtub? The following year, in 2006, things got better. My granddaughter Amelia was born. Someone once said that when God closes a door, He opens a window. All of the joy I thought I had lost forever came back to me the day she was born.
After Brayden and Ava died, I thought I would never be happy again. I questioned my faith, my life, and everything in between. I still don’t have an answer to why what happened happened. God allowed this to happen for a reason, but I don’t know what this is.
What got me to thinking about all of this is the fact that yesterday was Brayden’s birthday. That, and I was playing in the bathtub with my granddaughter and thinking how much I was enjoying playing with her, spending time with her. When I’m with her, I really understand what God’s love is like for us. How He loves us so unconditionally. She loves me so unconditionally, and I am so grateful God sent her into my life.
There are a few points I want to make about this:
1. Sometimes horrible things happen to us. Things we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemy. When it happens, it’s not the time to give up. Satan wants you to give up. He wants to steal from you everything God has given you, and Satan takes great a great deal of pleasure in stealing your joy. Don’t let him have it. He’s not worth it.
2. Savor every moment you spend with those you love because you don’t know how much time you have. Hold onto those moments and make as many of those moments as you can. God wants you to be happy, prosperous, and full of joy. Those things will come from following what the Bible teaches us about how to live:
8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. (Colossians 3:8-14Colossians 3:8-14
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. quarrel: or, complaint
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
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What this means is that we are to get rid of things like malice in our lives. When we do that, we will find the things God wants to give us.
I had to get rid of my anger, which is part of the grieving process, in order to have the things God wanted me to have. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I did it because I was sick of being angry, and I knew there had to be something better.
3. Be grateful for everything you have, thank God for it every day, and pray for the protection of those you love.
Satan will steal from you every chance he gets, but he can only do it with God’s permission. God and Satan are not equal adversaries. God is the God of the Universe, and He rules. Satan is only an angel. Something totally different, and he is only allowed to do what God says he can. We know this from the book of Job.
Although Job is not to blame for what happened to him, he did open the door through self fulfilling prophecy. Don’t let that happen to you. Show God your gratitude and pray for those you love. It will make a difference.
4. God loves you, He has a plan for you, and you can trust Him. He will give you a life way beyond anything you can imagine, and you’ll find a joy and peace in your life you never imagined. You’ll find a life you never imagined, and it will be incredibly awesome.
The hardest part about telling others about my grandchildren is that others people often offer their condolences, or feel sorry for me, or I just make them feel uncomfortable. Yes, I do miss Brayden and Ava. I will always miss them until I see them again, but I know I will see them again. God didn’t leave me empty handed though. I can never replace Brayden and Ava, but I can love my other grandchildren unconditionally and freely because I know that’s what God wants me to do.
I guess what I’m getting at here is: savor your life. Enjoy it. Live with an attitude of expectancy and gratitude, and not only will you find the life you’ve always wanted, you’ll be richly rewarded.
As for me, I’m going to enjoy playing Barbies with my granddaughter, in the bathtub, as long as I can.
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September 22 2008 08:36 pm | Christian News
