Encouragement
I will turn 83 next week.
I am thankful for my life and have tried to make the most of God’s grace within my life.
In 1990, I had cancer of the larynx (vocal cord). The radiation treatments healed me and allowed us to continue doing interim pastorates throughout the 1990s. I retired from full-time pastoring after 55+ years of enjoying serving/pastoring so many precious people!
Since October of 2004, La Moyne and I have produced around 300 papers that have been shared on the internet via Faithwriters.
These papers with Faithwriters have been a blessing for us and hopefully for each of you.
We are so grateful to our daughter Kristin who typed and posted this one for us today!
Isaiah 46:4,5:
“Even to your old age I am God and will carry you along and will deliver you!”.
Heart trouble has been a factor on the Wiginton side of our family. Dad’s brothers had trouble and one even died in my dad’s arms at my 8th grade ball game. I have now outlived Dad and all of his brothers. And now I have outlived my precious son, Kyle, who died last month at the age of 49…..only 3 wks. after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
We understand a bit more now, the sorrow that La Moyne's parents went through when their little son, Jimmy, died when he was one yr. old (La Moyne was 3).
One grieving mother cried out to God, "Where were you when my son died?"
The answer was "The same place I was when My own Son died."
Last week La Moyne came across a night-light she had given her mother many yrs. ago.
It is a cross that lights up around the Scripture John 3:16:
"God so loved....that He gave His only Begotten Son"
La Moyne said each time she sees that, it reminds her that God gave His ONLY Son!
The following lyrics have brought solace in the midst of grieving the loss of our child:
“O love that will not let me go.
I rest my weary soul in Thee.
I give thee back the life I owe
That in thine oceans depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not in vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.” (Lyrics - George Matheson)
It is so – God will never let you down and if you are down He will lift you up!
God will never let you go for EVEN in death as....
“absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
My legs are weak, but God’s foundation is true and firm.
I love the promise in Proverbs 3:5-6:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not unto your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path!”
Therefore at 83 and 78, we face facts with faith. We (and you) must be sure that the object of our faith is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
I learned years ago not to question God.
He has the answers and has proven true every step of the way.
Therefore, why should I not trust Him now?
What is needed today is a passion for God and to communicate with Him and seek His face and do His will! It seems to me that many people spend valuable time on cell phones, iPods, iPads, etc. We need a passion to spend time with God and seek His will.
I like what Charles Swindoll wrote in his book “The Finishing Touch” about the end times of our life. “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion”.
Make every day you are alive a special occasion.
Our son, Kyle, lived every day as if it was a special occasion. He was full of life and love!
“Someday….one day… and one of these days” are losing their grip on my vocabulary.
If it is worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see or hear or do it now.
I’m trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives!
Upon waking each morning, make a decision to drain every last ounce of joy out of each day! This chorus, written by our late friend, Gene Bartlett, is SO true!!
“Every day is a better day when you give it to the Lord.”
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In one of those amazing ways that God allows things to unfold, a great friend of mine introduced me to the book of Habakkuk, which has helped me through this trying time in my life.
Sometimes it is not evident to us what is going on, especially if we are thrown into suffering for a period of time or if it seems our enemies are prospering while we are just barely getting by.
The Book of Habakkuk affirms that God is a sovereign, omnipotent God who has all things under control. We just need to be still and know He is at work. He is who He says He is and does keep His promises. Even when we cannot see it, He is still on the throne of the universe.
We need to stay focused on this: “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19). Enabling us to go on the heights is taking us to the higher places with Him where we are set apart from the world.
I am a firm believer that Sometimes the way we have to go to get us there is through suffering and sorrow, but if we rest in Him and trust Him, we come out where He wants us.
I am a VERY lucky girl to have gotten to spend the amazing time with my father that I had. I am also so very thankful for my supportive group of loving family and friends that have helped my grandparents (Travis and La Moyne) mother (Darr), brother (little Travis), and me through this time.
I do wish that nobody would ever have endure the pain and suffering of losing such a close loved one. But with that being an impossible wish, I hope that through that time everyone is so lucky as I, to have so many others pick you up and help you along the way.
I know that Travis and La Moyne (or Papa and Tutu as they are known by us grandchildren) have offered love and prayers to millions of people around the world. Please continue to pray for them and the rest of our family as we work through this Tremendous loss.