hands

i think that most people are familiar with the song "He's got the whole world in His hands".  even those who are not so much 'religious' tend to understand it to be about a divine being watching over the world.  and while i do agree that GOD (the divine being) is most definitely concerned about the goings on of the earth, it still seems very general and even distant to me. 

now while i understand my GOD to be big, huge, magnificent, indescribable and thus totally capable of holding the whole world in His hands, i am also beginning to see Him as a very close & personal GOD to me!  a little while ago i was wrestling with a statement that seems to be prevalent in the church..."if you were the only person on earth, JESUS would still have died for you."  i am not a theologian, and therefore not willing to even debate the validity of this statement.  however, i was mulling this idea over in my head as i walked around my neighborhood early one morning.  i was praying about this very foreign concept of being the only person on earth - and honestly i just couldn't grasp it.  i couldn't picture a world with only me.  and then i heard GOD whisper in my spirit, "no, you are not the only one on the earth.  but in the midst of the billions of people - I see you - walking down stafford drive this morning.  I know you and care about you and your world today." 

kristian stanfill has a song out that says "i will not worry or fret, my GOD is the GOD who will never forget.  all of His goodness and all of His promises, holding my world in His hands."  my world - my everyday situations, problems, joys, concerns...my life is important to Him. 

my world is in His hands. 

may 15th

today is an extremely significant day in my life.  it is may 15th!  well, this day may not have a prominent place on your calender or in your heart, but for me - this is a big day!  first of all, on this day, in 1999, i gave birth to my first son - jonah christopher.  that was an awesome day - in all interpretations of the word awesome.  induction, complications, emergency c-section, and much pain - but also a beautiful & healthy boy and my mom there to help welcome him into this world.  even through the pain, this was a good day...may 15th. 

then in 2002, i celebrated jonah's 3rd birthday at his daycare, boarded a plane to miami, was chauffeured to the hospital where my 52 year old mom had only moments earlier lost her battle with breast cancer.  this was a bad day...may 15th. 

over these past 9 years i have come to recognize GOD's hand on my life in this date.  i have had many people tell me how unfortunate it was that my mother passed away on my son's birthday...and for a time i felt that to be totally true.  however, on the day that my heart aches the most for my mom, i have a miracle of a young man with whom my heart rejoices as he celebrates another year of life.  how blessed am i, that GOD would give me a gift on may 15th? 

well, today is that day.  and as i type with tears in my eyes and remember my beautiful mom and all that she taught me, her 5'9" grandson walks through the room singing praise to their GOD. 
this is a remarkable day...may 15th.