Thanksgiving in the In-Between
Our Thanksgiving table has an empty chair again this year.
We feel Calla’s absence...and oh, we miss her. Fiercely. But oh, we love her. Fiercely. We love that she is our daughter. We love what it felt like to hold her hand...hear her pray...watch her play...make her laugh...listen to her sing. We love who God created her to be; the beauty in every corner of her soul and the spunk in every muscle of her little body. We love who she is...the granddaughter, the niece, the cousin, the sister, the daughter that she is. She is forever a part of our family...forever a part of us. We have an empty chair, but it is Calla’s chair.
Because of Jesus, there is promise in the pain...there is hope in the heartache...there is love in the “in between” of here and Heaven.
Because of Jesus, we can be grateful for both the “now” and the “not yet”. We do not have to separate what we are grateful for right now from what we will be grateful for when Jesus sets all things right. Our confidence in God’s promises is so secure that we can express our gratitude for what will be...the reunion we will have...the inheritance we will receive...the Home we will enter...the future we will have because of the salvation we have received.
If you have an empty chair around your table today...hear a gentle reminder to be grateful for the love that rests there and the hope that will never disappoint. Praise God for that special person, replay the memories, remember that love is eternal and reaches beyond the grave. And remember to drink deep of the joy that you feel from each loved one around you. Enjoy the outbursts of laughter, the wiggly hands you hold, the prayers of faith you share, the squeals of excitement you hear, the thunder of running footsteps, the warmth of tender embraces...and cling in confident hope to the joy that lies ahead when Jesus will gather all His chosen ones around His table in His Heavenly Kingdom. Give yourself permission to feel the sorrow of absence and the joy of presence...let them lead you to Jesus in gratitude. Be thankful for both the “now” and the “not yet.” They are both certain. They are both yours. They are both worthy of the deepest gratitude. They both rest in the unfailing hands of Jesus, our Coming One.
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.” Hebrews 10:23
#TeamWoods #praiseforcalla #hopeingrief #wearewayfarers #thebravewayhome #thanksgiving #lifeafterloss #grief #bereavement #griefjourney
