Monday, August 25, 2014

Fall/Spring Calendar

Welcome! Mend is excited to get started September 9th! We will be going through the book " When God Sees Our Tears"  by Cindi McMenamin . Join us as we venture through life's tough spots, learning about our grief and how we can thrive in the difficult journey of life! We will be meeting at a NEW location. We will be at Fellowship Bible in the Annex building. As soon as I get a map, I'll upload it here. Mark your calendars for September 9th!


Friday, March 14, 2014

The Bright Side of Suffering

*This is the second part of a 2 part blog on suffering. You can find the first one here

You may be wondering how in the world there could be any bright side to suffering.  Even as I type these words- I cringe a little even putting the word bright and suffering in the same sentence. However, as any person who has gone through a life changing difficulty knows, if you aren’t able to make the situation any better, at some point you have to move forward, and this means looking for the joys in the darkest of moments even if you don’t want to.

I write these next few things knowing that not every person has felt this way or will experience these changes. In every situation, we have a choice. When we fight through the tears and shock of unexpected pains, we ultimately have to decide how we are going to handle what life throws at us. These are a few of the most beautiful aspects of suffering:

1. You can become a fruit bearer in your pain

After tragedy strikes do you find yourself researching your situation? Maybe you’re struggling to start your family so you find yourself investigating any and everything about infertility. Maybe your child unexpectedly passed away and now you find yourself furiously reading and building up your knowledge base about the why’s and how’s of this tragedy.

For many of us, our deepest pains become our greatest passions.  I truly believe that if you are willing to step out of the comfort zone of your pain- God can use you to impact the lives of others around you and ultimately- move mountains through your pain. I know, I know- it’s scary, isn’t it? It is terrifying to be vulnerable in your greatest wounds! But believe me when I tell you that if you allow God to use your pain for his glory- stepping out in faith, despite the vulnerability of your pain, he WILL use you.

Think about that for a moment. Your wound hurts and the suffering is there no matter what. Either you choose to let it sit and be just that- suffering, or you choose to USE it for his glory.  The wound is there either way- but God allows us the option to become a fruit bearer from the pain in order to expand and further his kingdom.

 “ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Did you notice the “comfort” trend? Paul reeaaallly wanted us to understand the importance of this word here! I noted 2 things in this passage. One being the obvious repetitive emphasis on comfort and second, the linear order for comfort. We see first the origin of comfort, then how he comforts us in our pain, so that in turn we can comfort others with the same comfort we have received!

2. You will never be the same again

This was also on the dark side of suffering post. For many of you who have gone through or are currently going through a dark valley of life, you may think of how things were prior to the pain. It’s easy to wish that you could go back in time to when you naively & blissfully went about your day thinking all was well - until your world came crashing down. 

However, I can honestly say that I am forever changed- for the better.  My eyes have been opened to the immense brokenness of this world.  Its almost as if I have been given a new set of glasses called perspective that I had never seen out of prior to our pain.  Or maybe- for the first time in my life, my eyes were opening see the true reality of living in a fallen world.  Like a newborn baby opening its eyes for the first time, I could only open them ever so slightly, squinting at the sting of this bright world.

When you are being forced to see life through a new lens, you can’t help but notice all the turmoil around us. In turn, this new perspective gives you an incredible gratitude for things many take for granted. The little joys of the day become some of your greatest moments of thankfulness. Your heart becomes soft and tender to those around you experiencing difficult times. Ultimately- you are being refined by the fire.

“ I have refined you but not in the way silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering” –Isaiah 48:10

Refine: to remove by purifying. To reduce to a pure state.

Do you know what it truly means to be refined by the fire? A refiner knows just how long to leave its chosen metal in the furnace in order for the impurities to rise to the top to be skimmed off, ultimately leaving behind a beautiful liquid metal reflection. God, our refiner, knows just how long we need to be in the fiery furnace of suffering, in order for our impurities to rise up and out of us, revealing a stunning reflection of HIS image and likeness.

I am not saying that you are suffering because you are impure and he wants to refine it out of you. For many of us- I believe the order of events is different. We are impure by human nature, living in a broken world experiencing suffering, and he refines us in the process to shine forth his image and likeness. He does not want to burn me in the fire of suffering but he will use my pain as a means to refine my soul into becoming more like him! What beautiful imagery!

If you are willing- you have the ability to grow leaps and bounds in your faith, your wisdom, and your perspective on the world around you.  I say “if you are willing” because not everybody will grow in that direction. Pain can make you do crazy things- and for some, instead of turning to growth, they choose to stay in the pit and let Satan steal their joy, faith, and strength. And trust me- if you let him, he will steal it.

My hope is that you choose to let him refine you in the fire of your suffering. The benefits far outweigh the momentary sting of this worlds pain.


3. Lukewarm is not an option

I have a confession. For the majority of my life- I was a lukewarm Christian. I had a mediocre faith fueled by complacent passion to know and trust Him. Up until 3 years ago, nothing detrimental had ever happened to me. I had never been challenged in my faith or had a reason to cry out to God for answers for my empty aching arms.

Then tragedy struck. More than once.

When you go through a life altering situation, you naturally take a very hard look at your faith. I believe this is a pivotal moment for many people. You make a conscious decision. You are either IN or you are OUT. There is no lukewarm faith when you come face to face with suffering.  Some of life’s deepest hurts have caused people to completely turn their backs on God while others choose to stop walking and start running toward Him. In my experience, I have done both. I initially turned my back on God with an immense amount of bitterness toward the pain caused to me. The consequences of this were detrimental to myself and my marriage. My pit of hurts became a sea of regrets that I allowed Satan to drown me in.  It is only when I made a conscious decision to start living through the pain in Christ, not allowing it to suffocate me, that life became a lot more meaningful- despite the continuing suffering of losing our babies.

Much like the church of Laodicea in the book of Revelation- God despised how lukewarm they were. He literally wanted to spit them out of his mouth because he would rather them be either hot or cold- but definitely not lukewarm.  He desires me to stop walking in faith and start running, sprinting, toward him. He is ready, with arms open wide, to embrace me.

You are in a pivotal moment in your life where you have a choice. Suffering already does the job of naturally taking us out of a lukewarm lifestyle- but it is our choice which direction we run. Which way are you going?


4. Deeper intimacy with God

One of the absolute most precious outcomes of having been knocked into the pit of suffering has been in my relationship with God.  Many people I have spoken with agree that there is a much deeper intimacy with Christ when you are in the darkest spots of your life. This oneness with Christ is unlike anything I have ever experienced. When life comes crashing down before you and nothing else on this earth feels worth living for, all you have is God and yet so ironically beautiful: God is ALL YOU NEED. Just you and him. In your most raw moments, God picks you up, holds on tight and rides this devastating wave with you. I have seen my God like I have never seen him before.
This intimacy doesn’t happen over night. It is a process of letting God into my bruised and wounded soul, allowing him to speak tenderly into my heart. As I dive deeper into him through prayer, scripture reading, and continually bringing him every ache and pain of my soul, he reveals more and more of his glorious self.  I am in awe of the goodness of the Lord. Job, the king of suffering himself, said it best …

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” Job 42:5

So, press on wounded soul, and press into Christ!

~ Kristin






Friday, February 14, 2014

The Dark Side of Suffering



*This is part 1 of a 2 part blog about the dark and bright sides of suffering


This is intended for two reasons. First, to allow those who have gone through or are currently going through suffering, the ability to identify with others who have felt the same way they have. Second, to bring light to those family, friends, and acquaintances who could benefit from understanding what may be going on to those around them experiencing hard times.

These are what I have found to be some of the hardest parts of suffering in relation to the wounds in motherhood.


1. Long after the phone calls, meals, warm hearted texts, and well wishes end-your pain continues.
           
In my own experience and in speaking with other women in their journeys, I have noticed a trend. Upon the initial shock of tragedy, when support tends to be at its highest, you may be feeling strong.  You may be feeling like you are able to get through anything, encouraged by others, and may even feel hopeful for your future. But what most friends, family, and colleagues do not see, is that when all of that support begins to fade over time, and it will, your suffering will intensify.

If you are suffering-you may be feeling like a tourist lost in New York City. People zooming by with life, seasons changing, everyone moving along, all the while you are still standing there, feet paralyzed, trying to process all that has happened to you.

Word of advice for family/friends/acquaintances of hurting souls:  Please know that it takes much longer than you think is healthy or “allowable” to move forward with life’s hardship.  When all of the company and support dwindles, we are left here to soak our pillows in tears and spend countless nights thinking about the pain.  Have patience with us and most importantly, keep supporting us long after you think we are “okay”.

2. Your friendships will change.

Losing a child, going through infertility, any kind of hardship in the journey of motherhood, unintentionally places a barrier between you and everyone else.  Many friends and family will not know how to react to it. Some friends will not ask you about it out of fear of touching a “tender” spot. Others will try to be there for you, but end up saying hurtful things. Wounds in motherhood often scar the soul so deeply that it affects every relationship a woman has in her future. Your circle of trust may become smaller and smaller. You may unintentionally deem certain family or friends as “unsafe”. Others you feel very safe around. If you meet a woman who has gone through a similar pain, you feel an immediate common bond with her, sometimes deeper than the friendships you’ve had for years. Embrace the changes in friendship & have grace for those family and friends who may not know the best ways to be there for you.

Words of advice for family/friends/acquaintances of hurting souls:  Please ask your friend how you could be there for them during this time. Ask them what they need from you and express your sympathy for their pain. Try to be as sensitive to their needs as you can, especially if you have children. When you think they are fine- know that they are probably not, and could use an encouraging word, note, text, phone call, or visit to show them you care.

3. You will never be the same again

 (This will also be on the “bright side of suffering” post!)

Ask any person who has gone through the loss of a child, a loved one, struggled through infertility, miscarried, watched their child with special need struggle through life, or walked the road of adoption loss, abortion, or unasked for illness- and they will agree that they will never be the same again. They may feel that they have been stripped of their identity and are being forced to redefine who they are. Sometimes these wounds go so deep into the soul of a woman that she is forced to reexamine, search for, and call out to God to provide for and pour into her the joy that only comes from Him. This is NOT a bad thing- in fact, quite the contrary. Change can be a wonderful thing, especially when it involves the power of our Creator transforming us into what HE desires. Nonetheless, when it comes about in the form of tragedy, it is incredibly heart wrenching and sometimes physically painful to accept. I did not ask to change- I am being forced. Even though I can confidently say I am thankful for the hardship because of who God has molded me into- it had to come about in the hardest and most gut wrenching way possible: the loss of my children.

4. People say hurtful things

It is no secret that humans are not always the most sensitive and graceful creatures with our words. Friends, family, and acquaintances of hurting souls- here is a little cheat sheet of things NOT to say. These are some of the things that people have said to our women:

-       -When are you guys going to have kids?
-       -Don’t you guys know how babies are made?
-       -Don’t worry, you will have another child. My sisters cousins best friends aunt lost a child and went on to have twins!
-       -Why don’t you just adopt?
-       -You know you’ll get pregnant as soon as you adopt.
-       -Its not fair that you aren’t as happy for me and my baby as I was for you before your child passed away
-       -Ugh, pregnancy is so annoying. I can’t believe we decided to do this again.

Words of advice for family/friends/acquaintances of hurting souls: Please watch your words. This does not mean being silent. In fact, many of our women have said that one of the most hurtful and relationship-damaging things you can do is when you choose NOT to say anything to the hurting person. Ask God to give you the words to say, and please, please say them to us.

In addition- to those hurting souls:  It is important for those of us going through hardship to have GRACE and patience for everyone around us. We were all one of those people prior to our hardship- so please, have grace and forgiveness for those around you. Most people are well intentioned, they just don't have the experience or skills to speak tenderly to a womans pain.

5. There is no side stepping pain.

It is our human nature to figure out a formula for fixing any problem that may arise in life. You aren’t doing well in school? Study more. You want to be a better dancer? Take lessons. Nearly everything we do is based on formulas and rewards. However, when it comes to wounds in motherhood, there is no formula.  Even so, I naturally gravitated toward this when it came to my faith. If I only prayed harder or sought harder after God- then he would fix my situation. However, as many of us have discovered, life hardships and tragedies are often not changed by our deepening relationship with Christ. A stronger relationship with our Savior will do multiple wonderful things for you during your pain- it will equip you with the tools to thrive in hardship, give you hope that only comes through Him, and if you allow him, God will use your pain for his glory in miraculous ways- but it is NOT a formula for fixing your pain. There is no fast track through pain. You must walk through it, all the way, to get to the other side.

My hope is that you choose to hold the hand of your maker, who so lovingly longs to carry you through the hardship. It doesn’t mean it will be easy- but I promise you that he WILL transform you for his glory if you let him.





Part 2 of this will be the BRIGHT side of suffering… stay tuned!


-Kristin