Keep the faith

Wood floors run through the house, and I love their rippled texture. I think they call them scraped. The look is fabulous when there is a lot of wear and tear because they already looked battered and bruised.

Even though intentionally scraped, my husband, Cooper, and I noticed faded marks going horizontally across the planks. I had spotted them earlier and thought maybe I had dragged some furniture across or a spill had pulled the color out; but when Cooper noticed I got busy.

On my hands and knees I studied the marred floor. Pulling out stain and redoing the spot was the next item on the agenda and that’s when I moved a cabinet with mirrored mercury glass out of the way so I could get a better look.

Coop goes, “Wait a minute. Put your hand over the mirrors again.” You guessed it, the light from a lamp was reflecting off the glass casting a marred look on the floor.

That’ll preach. Life has been feeling very much like it’s pretty marred as of late. Tragedy hit our lives the past week as it did for one of my dearest friends in the loss of her precious Roy.

As we were at the funeral home I realized four families alone were facing making arrangements that day, all of whom we knew. Our little Judson who had been a part of our family for eight months in his mama’s womb had bypassed Earth and gone directly to the Father’s arms. Wanda was saying goodbye to her husband and our phenomenal friend, Roy. Sarah was weeping for her sister and a mama and daddy were mourning the loss of their daughter after a courageous battle with cancer.

If we look left or right we could make eye contact with many more reflecting the pain of loss marring our landscape. Those marks on my floor reminded me how different the light reflects on things this side of heaven. Here things look damaged, disfigured and in desperate need of an explanation.

As we moved the table and the glass caught the light from a different angle, the flawed floor took on a renewed finish. Just as we do when we trust God, the Author and finisher of our faith. Things look totally different on heaven’s side. Death’s devastation becomes eternal healing. We see dimly now, but then face to face. We don’t understand, we mourn deeply and weep uncontrollably…but we trust.

My daughter through her tears reminded me of one of her favorite scriptures, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Cor 4:16-18

Though today seems distressed, marred and irreparable…Hold on, trust God, tell Him how you feel and don’t hold back…but don’t lose hope. The Light of Eternity changes everything. We do not sorrow as those who have no hope. The Finish is in the Father.

This story was originally published March 19, 2017 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Keep the faith."