Emmanuel, God With Us

I actually started this post several weeks ago because, well, I needed to think on it. Today’s worship service helped me round up my thoughts and it reminded me that no matter what we experience, no matter how we hurt or grieve, God is with us. We sing the name Emmanuel, especially this time of year, but many folks don’t realize that Emmanuel means God with us.

The Christmas Season, is supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year” but for many who are grieving, lonely, sad, stressed, this is the hardest time of the year. A friend lost her husband to health issues not long ago and her grief process has been heartbreaking . She recently posted on social media about Endurance and Acceptance through this experience which spurred this post about my recent, and ongoing, loss, grief, endurance and acceptance.

Loss, Grief, Endurance and Acceptance …
But God is with us.

Grief is part of loosing a person, abilities or health…
But God knows when I hurt and He cares.

Grief is both physically and mentally exhausting …
But God helps me.

Grief is an individualized process…
But God sustains me.

And there are times of little hope that this life experience will improve…
But God is with me.

Sometimes I feel loss, and lost, and I grieve, and hurt…
But God comforts me.

I lost dear loved ones, health, and my ability to walk almost a year ago and now I’m learning to live with it…
But I Thank You God.

But God …

He is always with us, even when we don’t think so. He brings us to acceptance and endurance. He gives us the energy to focus on pursuing and serving Him. And God helps us to know that this phase of life, this loss will move to adjustment and hope.

And God helps me be able to persevere into the next phase of life, whether here on earth or in Glory with Him

And God comforts me to know that we, as believers in Him, will be reunited with loved ones. We will have new bodies. We will be with Him and our souls will be satisfied.

Thank You God

Almost 1 year ago, the doctor said I had to quit walking, get a wheelchair, and make a lot of other changes in daily living skills. During this past year, we lost my Mother in law, a dear aunt, and several friends. I was sad and disheartened and it took quite a while before I realized that my sadness was stemming from a lot of loss… I lost my ability to walk, my independence and abilities. I lost my ability to help my family and friends. I even had to realize that I could lose my feet to this condition. I am normally a cheerful person so being sad was foreign to me and disheartening. Finally, my nursing background and life experiences dawned in my brain reminding me that loss requires going through the grief process. I was grieving and it would take time to work through this.

But, in God, I always have Hope. I have been learning to live on wheels and to thank the Lord for those wheels. And I am remembering to be content and thankful in all things like Paul says in the Bible. I am especially thankful for a husband who encourages me instead of fusses at me when I put those marks on the walls 😊. And most recently, I’m thankful that the doctor sees slight improvement in my foot after months of rest…Thank You Lord!

I share this to not bring you down. But I want to share, and celebrate, the Hope and the Goodness of God Who is with us! I hope to encourage us all that God is always with us and He will help us. He will lead us through the hard times and He will comfort us. We all experience loss and grief in different ways. It is ok to grieve and be sad over time. Then, we should use the life lessons to draw us closer to God and to help others along the way. I hope this little bit of sharing will encourage and help you to rely on the Lord to comfort, grow and guide you through the hard times that seem to be even harder when others are celebrating.

Jesus was called Emmanuel, God with us. And Jesus promised that He would never leave or forsake us. Let’s rely on Him. As James in the Bible says, Let’s “draw near to Him and He will draw near to us”. He cares and He is always with us.

Thank you so much for reading and following along with Hope and a Dash of Humor and I pray you have a Blessed Christmas celebrating Emmanuel, God with us.

God Bless You!

Kim 💕🎄