He Weeps With Us

 The other day I was feeling the heaviness of the world situation and the coronavirus that seems to be running rampant. As I went about my work I was asking God about it and wondering if he even cares or why doesn't he DO SOMETHING about it??!!

Shortly thereafter, I found myself singing an old hymn, that I hadn't thought of in a long time, "Does Jesus Care?" Here is a snatch of it:

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained,

Too deeply for mirth or song,

As the burdens press, and the cares distress,

And the way grows weary and long.

Oh, yes, he cares, I know he cares,

His heart is touched with my grief,

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,

I know my Savior cares.

I felt the Father's heart weeping over his people and in that moment I KNEW that He does care! 

I was reminded of the story of Lazarus in John 11. His sisters asked Jesus to come because he was sick, but Jesus didn't get there till after he had died! They thought he was too late! And it says, "Jesus wept." John 11:35. But then, he proceeded to raise Lazarus from the dead!!

He has not forgotten us, he is not too late, and that resurrection power is still good today! Hallelujah!!

The Gift

 The day started much as any other, as I headed to work under a bright blue sky. I found my place and dived into the piles of work that had accumulated over the weekend. It didn't feel like I was making much progress as more and more things were added to the stack. I sighed rather wearily. 

About mid-morning an elderly couple walked in the front door. I greeted them and asked, as I do, who they were looking for and what was their name. My ears perked as I heard the name "Schrag"! "Oh!" I said brightly, "that's a good name. I'm a Schrag, too!" Now their interest was piqued. "Are you Dan's daughter?" the man asked, "I'm his cousin!"

They moved on to do the business for which they had come to Sturdi-Bilt as I sat there smiling and musing to myself. I really must talk to them some more, I thought. I stepped outside for some fresh air and just as I was coming in the side door, they were exiting the front. I ran after them waving my arms. 

The next 15 minutes were quite delightful as Cousin Mervin told me family history. He was Uncle Pete's boy, one of 11 children, and they grew up a half mile from Dad's boyhood home. He recalled pleasant memories of working with Dad and said more than once how kind and gentle he was. I somehow felt refreshed as I headed back to work.

Musing about it later, I thought, What a gift! For you see, today, would have been Dad's 99th birthday! It felt like a little bit of him came back to comfort me. Thank you, Jesus!