Work.
Sometimes we get to choose our vocation. Sometimes we don’t.
I’ve always tended to wear many hats. I like the variety, love the opportunities and I am energized by the challenges.
As of this week, I am down to a short stack of hats.
My son, Joshua, is 19 years old. He will not be long on this earth. He entered Hospice Care on Monday.
The work of my life is now singular and focused: to help Josh live well until the moment Jesus calls him Home. Buttressed up against this calling is the passion to help my other four children navigate this pain with peace and hope intact and secure.
As a parent, we are called to equip our children to live well, no regrets, eyes on Jesus.
Now, with a surprise time line, I’ve been called to prepare Josh to die well, no regrets, eyes on Jesus.
It is no small thing.
Joshua has been very sick. He was born with Sickle Cell Anemia. He had a stroke when he was five. Liver disease was uncovered this past year. His liver is now ravaging his lungs. Josh’s decline over the last 2 1/2 weeks has been rapid. It caught us off guard. My heart is in the spin cycle. It’s likely to remain there or return there again and again in the weeks ahead. Isaiah gives me hope.
I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you treasures of darkness, riches stored in the secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by name. Isaiah 45:2-3
My name.
My hat.
My knees are quaking.
Moses knees shook, too. He wasn’t sure of his hat, either.
Moses was honest with God. “Hey, this is not easy.”
God’s reply.
My presence will go with you and I will give you rest. Exodus 33:14
A new hat to wear.
A new road to travel.
A new rest to embrace.
I can’t imagine when I’ll be back to weekly posts. God knows. Until then, find that hat with your name on it and run the race in a strength not your own.
Pray us through. Pray us through. Pray us through.
Is This Your First Time Here?
Welcome!
Run hard. Rest well. launched in March 2013. If this topic grabs your heart, we’d like to encourage you to subscribe to this weekly blog. The information to do so is located on the right hand side of this page. Along the way, we’ve encouraged folks to read the first 12-weeks of posts found in the archives. (But no rush. Go slow.) Start with Week 1 (from March). Each post is numbered and lays an important foundational insight into the life-giving rhythm Run hard. Rest well.
- The site is under construction this summer in order to compile an e-book, re-vamp the site and prepare to launch out into a broader spectrum of people. We’re excited by what’s ahead.
run hard. rest well.
Brenda
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