Written by Karla Herbert

I was recently at a funeral for a precious little 2 year old boy. Words cannot describe the pain and joy that were intermingled into his service. But they were both present as tears, smiles, sobs, and laughter were shared among the family and friends there. 

One of the pastors shared a story of how this sweet little man's Mama was filled with utter excitement as she carried him, anticipating his birth, loving him before she'd seen him.

He compared that moment in her life to the anticipation we each carry inside of us.

The anticipation of the unseen.

The anticipation of Heaven, of looking at Jesus face to face, of seeing our loved ones who are already there waiting for us to make it home. 

There was something about what he said that made it possible for me to wrap my head around the devastating loss for a brief moment. I don't understand why He chose to take this sweet boy with the never-ending grin back home to Him. I don't understand why a big, amazing miracle didn't take place.  

But I do understand what the anticipation of the unseen feels like.

It's enough to take the agony away for a brief moment, to be replaced by a feeling of hope.

Hope. 

The pastor's words were healing words to my heart in the wake of the miscarriage I had recently. I never saw my baby. Never felt her breath on my neck. Never felt her tiny fingers wrap around mine. But I know what the expectant hope of seeing her again feels like. I carry it with me all the time. 

My prayer for you is that in the midst of heartache, loss, feelings of insecurity, or whatever is happening in your life that is causing you to turn your eyes toward Heaven and sigh, that you'll feel expectancy in anticipating the unseen.

"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I shall go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself; that where I am, you also may be." John 14:2,3

Written by Karla Herbert

He (Jesus) said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:15-16

Do you ever get weary? Perhaps physically exhausted?

Are there days you feel like being disobedient or ungrateful even when you know you shouldn't give in to your own private pity party?

Maybe you've been so sad that you didn't want to try to find something good on which to re-focus your thoughts.  

Perhaps you've been angry.

Really angry. 

What do you do at times like these? I've been known to throw my hands up in despair, or other times mutter under my breath. If there's a pebble in my path I'll sometimes kick it as hard as I can.

I'm sure Satan is cheering me on during these moments. "That's it! You pitch that fit! You can get angrier than that! COME ON! You know that person's a jerk and deserves your WRATH! You know your kids are just going to keep fighting. Just SCREAM AT THEM! LOUDER!" 

I can just imagine God's pain when I'm forgetting who He really is. He wants to be the lifter of our heads. He wants to be our joy and strength to see us through the rough times. He wants to be the best friend we've ever had. He doesn't want to be the God we desperately turn to only in dire emergencies or dreaded painful moments.

He wants to be the main part of our lives all day.

Every day.

For an eternity.

As some of you know, I miscarried a baby just this past Tuesday. It was incredibly sad, somewhat physically painful, and emotionally trying. But for some reason, through the entire ordeal, all I could think of was how good God truly is. I was thankful for the life He'd given me, even though it wasn't long enough in my eyes. I praised Him for being with me through all the tears. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, prayers and heartfelt sentiments that God placed on people's hearts to share with me. It was a difficult yet beautiful time in my life. And it's only because I believed that Jesus was just who Simon Peter said He was. 

Christ lives and He loves. He loved enough to shed His blood on the cross for you and me. With a Savior like that we can't go wrong. Choosing to be disobedient seems worthless, because it is. 

So what about you? What's going on in your life this moment that seems bigger than you can handle. What would your answer be if Jesus was standing right in front of you and asked "Who do you say that I am?" 

My prayer for you is that you'll recognize Him for who He really is and put your full trust in Him, not just in times of need but at all times.