Mark and I sat our girls down last night and let them know about my Stepfather, who is also their Papa (Grandpa). It was not an easy conversation to have with my children. It has been such a short time since my Mom passed and I was not sure if they would be able to handle the news. Once I explained what I knew (so far) about his diagnosis, and shared with them the information that I had received yesterday, we had a conversation about God and life's journey.
You see, I believe with all my heart that our life's journey here is guided by God. While each of us thinks that we are making decisions for ourselves each day, God is guiding those decisions. I explained to the girls that God's path is not the easy path, but if we walk with confidence in his love we will get through our journey with love in our hearts.
I know that for my Stepfather the last few years have been difficult. You see, he lives on a canal in Louisiana and during Katrina my parents main floor of their beautiful home was completely destroyed. During this same time period, my Mom had 2 rounds of cancer and also Alzheimer's, before she passed away. Now he is dealing with his own life battle.
These things would seem to some of us that God is vengeful, but I disagree. I am certain that God sets in front of us a life he believes that we can live that will honor and glorify him. How we live it is up to us. All the challenges we have can be faced with Gods help. Any expectation that we deserve happiness and an easy journey will always fall short. A belief that we can surrender all our troubles to God and he will provide is more realistic to me.
As we explained to our girls last night, it is our job to live the best we can and to live and move through each trial to prepare us to meet God. Some of us will meet him sooner and some of us will meet him later, so you never have time to waste. I hope that my children will continue to love God and to honor him each and everyday. I pray that when their own trials in life arise, they will see them as opportunities to fulfill Gods promises.
For my Stepfather I pray that whatever the path is for him now that he walks with confidence. I also pray that God is holding him in his arms and reassuring him that he is his child and he will bring him the calm and peace that he needs right now. These are difficult times for a perfect Mom in progress, but I know God has my back!
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