I’m not always the best at sharing parts of my life with
others. I wrestle with whether or not to share, with whom, and how much I want
to put out there. I don’t want to admit how much I struggle in difficult
situations and I don’t want to burden someone else with my worries.
But, I’m learning that sharing our stories
(even small parts of them) is often the way we will see God use it for good. {Tweet this}
This past summer was heartbreaking for me when I lost my mom
to cancer. In the weeks before, I spent time visiting with her, which kept me
out of town quite a bit. During a downtime, I emailed a friend to update her on
how things were going.
She replied, “I’ve been
thinking about you almost all the time because my mom has been visiting this
week—it’s really made me appreciate her visit even more.”
As hard as my days were, God
gave me a glimpse of how He was using what I was going through in someone
else’s life. A tiny reminder that He can use anything
for good—even something that didn’t feel so good to me.
I told my mom what my friend said and
despite her pain, it made her smile. It felt like it came full circle. Because
I shared my situation, my friend felt comfortable to tell me her experience,
and I was able to share that with my mom—how her situation was helping someone
she didn’t even know. It was a little bit of light
interrupting a dark day.
We don’t always get to see how God works, but sometimes, He
blesses us with a small peek into His work. {Tweet this}
Is there a time when you got to see how God was using
something in your life to help someone else?
In Christ,
[Photo credit: Unsplash.com]
Linking up with: Five Minute Friday,
Purposeful Faith, #TeaAndWord, Trekking Thru, #GracefullTuesday, #TellHisStory,
Let’s Have Coffee, #RechargeWednesday, #porchstories, #DestinationInspiration,
Moments of Hope, #HeartEncouragement, Faith ‘n Friends, #FaithonFire,
#FreshMarketFriday, Grace & Truth, #BVNetworkParty
Lovely! Hugs and prayers for you as you are learning to move forward in your grief. I am so sorry for your loss, Laura. My dad has been gone for many years now, but I still have my mom with me. We carry our loved ones with us in our hearts and when we share their kindness and goodness with others, it can be as if they never left. Our loved ones legacy lives on through you and me.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your mom. Hugs and prayers as you continue to grieve.
ReplyDeleteLaura, I am so sorry for your loss. I dread when the day comes that I lose each of my parents. There is a preciousness and comfort which comes when we see our situations redeemed and used for God's purposes. May God continue to bring you His comfort and peace and use you to share His comfort with others. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI also find it hard to share- and to figure out when and how much etc, but it is amazing how God can use it when we share as he leads.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your mom. Praying for God's comfort and peace.
Oh Laura, I am so very sorry to hear about your mom. Even though you and I have never connected before.
ReplyDeleteMay your writing give you a sense of peace and purpose even as you grieve.
Bless you ...
It is so hard to lose a parent and I am praying your heart continues to heal after losing your mom. God does work all things for good and even though we may not always see the fruit of this, it seems you already have in that one email. May you feel the love of your Father in this new season and feel a sense of healing through your writing and this community.
ReplyDeleteI relate to this so much. It is hard for me to show people that I need help and I'm not always sure if that is because of my need to control things or appear a certain way or that it feels risky to open up.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your heart to remind me to share my own.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteThe more I've dared to be vulnerable in my writing, the more I've found people who say, "Me too." There's not too much new under the sun so chances are when we share we will find that we are never alone and having someone come alongside and walk together with you is so much better than walking a path alone.
Blessings,
Bev xx
Having lost my own mum in the past couple of years, I have appreciated the moments of honest sharing that have happened here in this space. And in keeping with the theme of this post, I just got off the phone with a woman who was calling to let me know that she appreciated the thoughts I shared last evening in a devotional==completely unexpected input and SO APPRECIATED!
ReplyDeleteHi! I found your blog through Holley Gerth's blog. I completely agree that God does work as we share our testimonies and what we have gone through. I'm so sorry to hear about your mom and pray that the God of all comfort will comfort you. :) One of the things I feel like God has been showing me recently is that when we share, we help one another see how faithful God has been, and then it reminds (at least me!) that He will continue to be faithful, even when we humans are not. All the best to you :)
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for the loss of your mother. Praying for peace and comfort for you. It's amazing how we need little reminders to realize all of our blessings. You provided that little nudge to your friend, who, in turn, remembered to appreciate her mom. It's like throwing a pebble in a still pond - the ripples move ever outward.
ReplyDeleteWow, the timing of this couldn't be better. I am preparing a talk for Tuesday and wrestling with how much to share, if it is helpful, or better left unsaid. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to add that God also works through the sharing you do on your blog since it also helps many people from around the world.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for the loss of your mom. Thank you for writing this. I have been blessed my so many godly friends who have encouraged me by openly sharing their stories. I want to be bold to pass that same encouragement on to others. Great post, Laura!
ReplyDelete