As we head into the season of Thanksgiving, our women’s ministry leaders are reminding us to reflect on God’s goodness. Let their stories in this issue serve as a triage of sorts to highlight the medicinal properties inherent in gratitude.
Shout! God is Good
Laura Lucio is the women’s ministry director for Illinois Conference.
I have this formative memory from when I was about 8. I attended a visitation after Sabbath for a child a bit older than I was who had lost her battle with AIDS after an accidental needle infection.
I was holding my grandmother’s hand, and I remember the child’s mother sharing how sweet and brave her daughter had been. I still remember the child’s face as she laid there sleeping with her thick eyebrows and olive skin.
I remember the second funeral I attended… and the third, and the fourth. Dear friend, death is terrible. I was 17 when death screamed that my eldest brother’s life had ended. I was also 17 when my grandfather lost his battle with cancer. Then I attended some more funerals of loved ones and loved ones’ loved ones.
I was 30 when death shouted in my face that my third baby was not to be. And in the unfolding, it almost took me too. I was 32 when death took my adoptive mother (also my grandmother).
I don’t have many memories of birthdays or weddings, but I remember funerals. They were formative. The wounds that loss leaves on our souls, minds and bodies are eternal. We weren’t created to experience them. In full transparency, I rarely questioned whether God exists, but I’ve often wondered if God is indeed good.
In this season of thankfulness, how do we process loss? Do we need to pray more, or do we get an antidepressant prescription? Do we go to therapy or practice self-care at home? What do we do?
I would argue the answer is… yes. I’m thankful for nuance.
I pray that we leave room for the duality of grief and thankfulness. Can we stay thankful for the lives that are and allow ourselves to grieve the losses? I believe that when we grieve, we process what has happened to us, and when we express our thankfulness, we move through grief with hope.
In this season of thankfulness, I remember I’m on the other side of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for my tragic losses. This helped me to finally believe to my core that God is good regardless of what happens to me on this earth.
This is the central element of our faith. When we commit our lives to God, we shout in the face of death that GOD.IS.GOOD. The challenges we face on this side of heaven are so nuanced. So should be our God-centered healing journey.
Dear friend, I am thankful when in the middle of your hard seasons, you shout that God is good.
The Best Ever
Tammy Begley is the Indiana Conference women’s ministries director.
It was two days till the Single Moms’ Retreat. It was a small retreat. Eight moms and 14 children were attending.
The gift bags were ready. Games were planned. Special snacks and treats were all packaged and ready to go. Personal items ready to be packed into the suitcase. The phone rang and it was the weekend special guest that would lead out for “Moms’ Timeout Sessions.” She wanted to warn me that she wasn’t feeling well and may not make the retreat. She would let me know for sure the next morning.
Morning came and her message of sadness came. I was so thankful for her thoughtfulness in letting me know the night before. My mind went to a couple of things that I had recently participated in and had the resources handy. I grabbed the seminar handouts and a Bible study book that I had just completed with my daughters. I knew when I arrived at camp that I would have time to make my decision which one to share.
After I arrived, I laid everything out on the bed and picked up the book. Inside the front cover was a sheet of paper with 28 Bible verses. A study covering the power of the mind and the power of our thoughts and how they affect the decisions we make. The study focused on taking every thought captive, guarding your heart and mind, and watching what you think and say.
I wasn’t sure where this sheet of paper came from and didn’t remember it from before. My thought was, “Is this too simple?” Just using our Bibles and a few scriptures. Would we have a discussion at all? Would the ladies respond?
First session, we discussed only the first five verses. Everyone seemed happy that it wasn’t complicated. The discussions were so open and honest. This small intimate group shared experiences from the past and present that that related to each of the scriptures read.
At our last meeting, all the ladies shared a song on their phones that really spoke to them. A couple of the moms had attended many retreats before and felt this to be one of the best ever.
The Lord is so faithful in providing all the things we need even before we know we need them. I am so thankful for His never-ending love and leading.
