Do you believe?

Writing is good therapy for me. It is helping me get through this time in my life.  The following is something I wrote right after I lost Mike on October 7.

This last week has been like a nightmare that I really wish I could wake up from and tell Mike how horrible it was.  Our lives have permanently changed in a way that I never expected.  The love and help that I have received from the church family has been so strong.

My family and Mike’s family have been so wonderful for me but I have also learned that I have a much greater family in the community.  Mike would have never realized the legacy that he left.  He just liked preaching, teaching and sharing God with people through missions.  He taught me so much too.  The one thing that has stuck with me is that we never know when our time is finished and when we will face God.  What we do know is that our lives need to reflect God in all that we do.  The last movie that we watched together as a church was, “Do You Believe?”  We wached it just three days before he left this world.  It was the story of 12 people who each had different encounters.  They were all intertwined by God.  It is funny how that happens.  God is our common denominator.  He is the one that brings us all together.  We all have the choice to follow Him.  He doesn’t force us to do that.  He gives us the choice.  So many people go through hard times, tragic times, times when they may get mad at God because they feel like they received something that wasn’t fair.  I understand now.  It wasn’t fair for Mike to be taken from me leaving me to raise Hannah alone.  I know that Mike is in heaven because he made the choice to BELIEVE – Believe in God.  We will see him one day because I know that I have made that choice to believe too.  When you ask forgiveness of your sins and believe that Jesus took them all away, God promises to save a place for you in heaven.  It doesn’t mean I am perfect and doesn’t mean I will not miss him because I will.  Hannah and I will be thankful for the time we had with him and know that his legacy will continue in us.  “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”  Phil. 4:13.