Author: Barbara

My passion is to encourage women wherever they are on their life journey. In everything I write and in every opportunity to speak, my goal is to offer hope. May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV

Springtime in Jersey

~ Barbara ~ 1 Comment

I love the coming of spring and its promise of new life. What a wonder to behold!

The tiniest hint of green appeared on tree branches. So tiny, I wondered if my eyes deceived me. But then it happened—the green spread, and deepened, and intensified. Now, New Jersey is swathed in varying shades of green.

Forsythia and daffodils burst out in yellow, bringing spontaneous smiles to our faces. Crocuses and hyacinths complemented them with their pink and purple petals. Trees blossomed into bloom—dogwoods, magnolias, and flowering cherry.

I love the onset of fresh fruit and the promise of backyard barbecues.

I love packing away winter coats and walking out the door without thought of the cold.

I love opening the windows and allowing in fresh breezes.

I love to watch the seemingly synchronized arrival of birds at our feeders, each singing their unique song.

I love seeing people taking walks or out in their yards, especially the children.  

I love living in New Jersey where each season is distinctive.

I love that the seasons are ordained by God. We can do nothing to alter them, slow their arrival, or delay their passing.

I love seeing God’s fingerprints in nature, ever changing but displayed in patterns that never change.

I Blinked, and 43 Years Went By

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

We were young parents of four and had just learned I was pregnant—with twins. When the shock wore off, elation took over. Our joy was boundless and we shifted into high gear. This news changed everything. We needed a larger house to accommodate six children and, of course, a bigger car.

We were soaring, emotionally and practically. Then, April 22 came. Joy and Peace were born four months early, and our soaring expectations plummeted. We fell from an emotional high to a staggering low. If they were born today they may have lived, but in 1982 the doctors didn’t even attempt to save them.

 Why am I writing about this now?

Tuesday was their birthday and memories surfaced. Details filed away for years returned with clarity. I don’t know why. Maybe so I could share this with you, for your own comfort or to encourage you to comfort a friend.

Miscarriage or death at birth is a loss. A grieving mother does not need to hear that she’s still young, or that at least she has other children, or that this was probably for the best.

She needs her loss to be acknowledged, her sorrow to be affirmed, her needs to be met. She needs time. Her pain will lessen but her loss will never be forgotten, even 43 years later.

I’m fine. I no longer need ministry because my babies died. But somebody does.

There’s a mother out there who is grieving. Someone is marking the anniversary of a child’s death and wonders if anyone else remembers. A mother somewhere needs to talk and be heard. She doesn’t need to hear anything, except you’re sorry for her loss. Pain is isolating. Send a card or give a call, but don’t let her sit alone in her sorrow.

Maybe this is why my memories returned.

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.
When they are troubled, we will be able
to give them the same comfort God has given us.
2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT

The Door Flung Open

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Darkness extinguished light, death stole life, a stone sealed the tomb.

How final, decisive, absolute!

But…

Heaven’s door was flung open.

The way to eternity was cleared.

Light broke out of the darkness and exposed

the shadows in our minds,

the dark places in our hearts,

the shame of our souls—

and hope entered.

Our debt was forgiven, our sin absolved, our condemnation wiped away.

The door was opened and, forever after, people from every walk and every nation, throughout all time and space, have heeded God’s invitation to step into the light and be made whole.

That is the Easter story.

A Heart Set on Pilgrimage

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Pilgrimage is a curious word. When we grasp its concept, it will enrich our perspective and allow us to attune our spirits to what is eternal and put the temporal in its rightful place. Our choice is to live for now, enjoying its pleasures and accepting its challenges, or we travel through life toward an unfathomable destination awaiting us.

In 1678, John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress, an allegory describing a man named Christian and his journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Christian overcomes many obstacles and resists temptations because he is astutely aware that life is a journey and his destination is real.

When our hearts are set on pilgrimage, like Christian, we look forward to our future with confidence and have strength for the journey to get there.

We find benefits of a pilgrimage perspective in Psalm 84:5-7:

  • Our strength is in God. We are not meandering on earth, stumbling and fumbling, but have supernatural strength to survive and thrive despite obstacles and disappointments.
  • When we meet sorrow, we pass through our valley of weeping—it is not our destination. Rather than camping there, we turn it into a place of life-giving springs!
  • We increase in strength, step by step and day by day, because we press forward to our eternal destiny.
  • We will appear before God. Our tears will be wiped away, our sorrows erased, and our hearts made glad.

 Fellow journeyers, persist and move forward with your hearts set on pilgrimage.