God in my sorrows... God in my joy....

As some of you know someone in my family died on Tuesday. I found out Wednesday morning. I don't want to publically state the details but it was a very tragic death. And this is hard for my entire family. I didn't know this person very well but my mother grew up with this person and they were very close. Normally I would not be so upset. Because as I explained in the post before this one, I never allowed people to be too close to me: i didn't want to ever be hurt. Even when my grandfather died on my birthday a few years a go I did not shed a single tear. NOt because I wasn't sad, I just couldn't. I was very emotionally guarded and empty inside. Now because GOd is changing my life my heart hurts because his heart hurts. I am so close to God that when his heart breaks my heart breaks also. It says in psalms 116:15 that

"the Lord cares deeply when his loved one's die."

And so my heart was grieving in a way that was not possibe before. MY heart goes out to this person's immidiate family and everyone in my entire family who has felt the pain of this death. But even in these hard times I know the Lord is still good, and that he loves us. This is hard to say or understand but I believe it and I know it to be true. I am blessed and even more in love to know that when this hard time came GOd was still with me, he didn't leave me but comforted me and held me in my sorrow. And even in this time there is still joy. Today one of my closest friends accepted Jesus into her heart! I am so happy for that.

IN luke 15:7 it says "IN the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!"

It also says in verses 8-10 that "suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents."

how cool. all of heaven stops and rejoices when one person comes to know Jesus! He cares that much about everyone of us individually- can you believe that? There are some 6 billion people on earth at this moment and God cares for each one and even knows the number of hairs on your head?!?

WOW... so i love that the Lord is with me in sorrow and in joy. He is with me in every season of my life. And he can be with you as well :)