Eyes Open to God’s Blessings

By Tereza Faria Lopes
Brasília, Brazil

Para ler este artigo em português, clique aqui.

Editor’s Note: We end 2022 with a five-day devotional series written by several sisters in ICOC churches in Brazil. May these devotional thoughts encourage your hearts as we enter 2023!

Early in my Christian life, as an exercise in filling my mind with all that is good and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8), I learned to list my personal blessings, received directly from the loving hand of God. What are the best blessings? Family, profession, marriage, children, friends? Yeah! God blesses us with the fulfillment of the many desires of our hearts. This year, however, I experienced the opportunity to be blessed with something much deeper that surpasses all understanding.

This year, 2022, brought me something completely new, unexpected, and challenging: the loss of my mother to stomach cancer in just over 30 days between her diagnosis and her passing.

How could I understand this? Mom had always been the strength and safe haven of the family. She was never sick. She always took care of all of us.

When she left, a huge hole formed—a really huge hole. It was impossible to see the other side and the bottom!  I saw myself stuck on the edge of that hole, less than a step away from falling into it. Coincidentally, the challenges and responsibilities in my work increased dramatically.  I cried and silently said to God: “I can't do it! I don't want to go through all of this! Take me out of here!”

But God didn't take me away...

Psychologists explain the cycle of grief and sadness. It is not a linear process, but is permeated by feelings of anger, denial, bargaining and sadness, before we are invited to accept and live the season of change. In this process, the big difference for me was realizing that, on the edge of that huge empty hole, I was wrapped in God's embrace, where I could rest (if I wanted to). It was just us there: the hole, me, and God's embrace. I could decide whether to lean into the hole or recline into the embrace and rest. Then, I heard God insistently inviting me to rest in Him right there, on the edge of the hole, in the season of pain, to know His love in a unique and inexplicable way.

God still hasn't removed me from this season of grieving, but He hasn't removed His hug either, and the hole doesn't seem so big and threatening anymore.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)

On the edge of the hole, God made me add to my list of blessings something much bigger and more valuable: the strength of the Spirit within me; strength in the soul; the strength of faith to serve God and do my duty. If the love of Christ is in our hearts, then Christ dwells there!

On the edge of the abyss, I discovered and accepted that I have FREEDOM in God when I face difficult situations.

On the edge of the hole, dear sisters, I hope that all of us can find the Father's embrace. He is there. Trust Him. Let's worship Him there!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

James 1:2-5 (NIV)

Questions for Reflection:

1. How do you interpret and perceive pain? How do you usually handle change? In times of transition, where do you find your strength?

2. Where is your confidence? The answer to this question determines whether you will experience blessings or live with the weight of uncertainty in times and seasons of change.