Once upon a time…
Twelve years ago, half way through our twenty four years of marriage, I wrote this blog, “Memorial Stones”, to remember God’s faithfulness at that time in our lives and so that we would never forget. Meditating on God’s faithfulness, and abiding in His goodness through life’s hardest times is the strength that steadies me, comforts me, allows me to surrender completely, trust confidently, and enlarges my faith–the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:1). This is only possible in and through God’s strength, not my own. As I was struggling to figure out which of the updates to keep a record of here from Eric’s hospitalization (August 5th) to heavenly homegoing (September 28th), I counted that there were twelve not yet recorded here. Instantly, God brought the passage of the twelve memorial stones from Joshua 4:20-24 to my mind. “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God has done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
I then recalled when God had comforted me through this passage during one of our hardest years in Haiti. This is what I mean when I quote our Haiti mentors who always reminded me, “You know, God sees ahead.” Twelve years ago I shared,
Eric remembered this as he aimed to lived out 2 Corinthians 5:9. He gave his best for the Lord each day until he crossed over to glory. So I will share all twelve of the last “memorial stones” that God put on our hearts to share in his last days. May the lives we live (whether here or away with the Lord) continue to share God’s faithfulness and impact this world that is still in need of hope and rescue–“that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” (Joshua 4:24)
I would’ve loved to just walked one day at Eric‘s shoes and to know his mind and feel the love that he had in his heart for our Lord. I am on my own faith walk and strive every day to be the person our Lord has made me to be! Eric was the epitome of a LOVE he had no boundaries! The only thing that I think that helps me justify Eric‘s untimely passing is that God knew how hard and how long he worked for the Lord and just thought Eric deserved his reward sooner than what we wanted! God bless you, Elisabeth and family!