Planning Funerals that Won’t Happen Today - Encouragement for Today - August 22, 2019

Peace and perspective from God's timeless truths. [View this email in your browser]( Encouragement for Today --------------------------------------------------------------- August 22, 2019 Planning Funerals that Won’t Happen Today [LYSA TERKEURST]( [ Listen to this devotion]( “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” [Psalm 139:15-16]( (NIV) Several years ago, my then-teenage son came to me and asked if he could take his brother and sisters to go get ice cream. How fun! How thoughtful! "Sure," I said, "Let me grab my keys and we'll go." "No, Mom — we sort of want to go just us kids," he quickly replied. "Oh," and that's about all I could get my mouth to say as my brain started racing and reeling. In my mind, pictures started flashing of a terrible accident, a phone call from the police, planning a funeral and then thinking back to this moment when I could have said No. And it was that strange sense that everything depended on me and my decisions that made me want to say: No. Absolutely not. You will stay home today. You will all stay home forever. I have to keep you safe. Most of us moms live with this gnawing, aching, terrifying fear that something will happen to one of our children. We carry the pressure that ultimately everything rises and falls on whether or not we can control things. And mentally, too often we plan funerals that won't happen today. We do it because we know the realities of living in a broken world where car accidents happen. Tragedy strikes old and young alike. We have no guarantees for tomorrow. And that's really hard on a mama's heart. When I was a teenager, I lost my baby sister in a tragic way — so I know devastating realities can happen. If you’ve lost someone you love, I wish I could reach through this screen, squeeze your hand and whisper, “I’m so sorry. I understand. It’s such a deep, deep pain.” And a pain that we fear happening again. That’s where I was as I stood at the front window of my house fretting and watching as the entire contents of my mama heart piled into one car. And I realized I had a choice. I could run myself ragged creating a false sense of control that can’t really protect them. Or, I could ask God to help me make wise decisions and choose to park my mind on the truth, which is: God has assigned each of my kids a certain number of days. My choices can add to the quality of their life, but not the quantity. They could be at home tucked underneath my wings, and if it's their day to go be with Jesus, they will go. Our key verse confirms this: "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" ([Psalm 139:15-16](. [Continue reading...]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Subscription Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( --------------------------------------------------------------- © 2019 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 500, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Encouragement for Today. [Link](