I chronicled part of our journey to the Hill Country in my post yesterday. As I mentioned, the problems with Big Red and the catastrophes that included both self-inflicted issues and a problem with which I had nothing to do (really!) were not all that happened. If one pays close attention to life many lessons can be learned. I am often amazed how much God can use the normal details of life to reveal God’s love and mercy.
We arrived a day before the Casita Rally that led us to camp in the Hill Country. This was our first Rally and we did not know what to expect. A group of people met us at the campground and helped us register and find an adequate camping space. We jumped on a golf cart as someone showed us the various campsites, some were set aside for one Casita, others for two. There were places that were shaded and others that were not. How does one choose a site?
After driving through the campground, we decided that the first one we had seen seemed to be the best. What did it matter anyway? It was close to where all the action of the Rally would take place so we decided that it would work. Little did we know that God was breaking through the normal details of life to reveal God’s love and mercy.
Each morning a small group would gather to start the day with a short devotional and prayer. There is no better way to start a day than to pray and focus on God, so we showed up. Introductions were made, as each person shared a story about their life. We are not hesitant to share our narrative, especially our experience of grief since the death of Joseph, our son, on March 22, 2017. Indeed, since his death our lives have dramatically changed and we have seen God’s love, mercy and grace throughout the experience. From the beginning we have chosen to share our story since it may be helpful to others.
As stories were shared, we heard one man talk about his daughter who had died only a few months ago. His words were full of emotion as he recalled the suddenness of her death and their struggles of grief since then. The amazing thing to us was that his Casita was parked right next to ours. Over the next several days we had an opportunity to share stories, songs and poetry that had been helpful to them and to us. Was it a coincidence that we camped next to them? No, it was a God incident.
God is active in our lives. Even in the mundane. Getting to know this couple was helpful to us both. When the week came to an end and we were both leaving, we gathered together between our Casitas, held hands and prayed. We continue to hold them in our prayers and know that there was a purpose in what seemed a random occurrence.
God has not removed the pain of grief from us. Yet God has been active in leading us into both situations and new relationships with people who share a similar story. We have never walked alone through our grief. Family, friends and strangers have shared our pain and grief. It has never been a coincidence. It has always been a God incident.
Until next time,
DP