June 9, 2015 (Facebook Post)
On Sunday as we hiked to Machine Falls, this guy helped us along the way. When we finally arrived at the falls, I noticed him reading a book. But it wasn’t just any book, it was the Bible. He hiked all the way there by himself to have fellowship with God. The very next day, my son Alex and I had a conversation about how important it is to have a relationship with the Lord, and going to church every Sunday is not a requirement to do so. I have always taught my boys that church is everywhere and anywhere you are. Even if you don’t go to church on Sunday’s, you can still love worship God. A girl told my son in school recently that he would go to hell if he didn’t go to church on Sunday’s. She really believes this. Don’t get me wrong, a church with fellow believers is an awesome thing to be a part of, but don’t let the devil make you believe this lie. Talk to God, wherever you are and whenever you want, because that is the most important relationship you will ever have!
I wrote this post on Facebook just 2 months before the accident that would forever change our lives. As I read that post on my Facebook memories, two things stood out to me.
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First, that summer was one of the best summers our family had ever had. We did so much that summer that involved physical activity and being together. Hiking was just one of the things our family had recently learned that we loved. That summer we went to Universal Studios, visited the beach, and anything that involved being active. I believe God was preparing us for what was to come. I will never forget helping Jackson climb up a very steep hill while hiking and glaring at his father the entire time because I was afraid Jackson would fall. I will always have the memory of writing mine and Jackson’s names in the sand with our toes. Seeing him jumping in the waves at the beach with his brothers. And carrying his shoes in my hands because he got blisters on his little feet at Universal Studios. I believe God gave us these memories to carry in our hearts. Not to remind us of what Jackson lost, but to give us sweet memories and the hope that someday we would see Jackson do those things again.
This post made so long ago also reminded me that although I don’t believe you have to go to church to believe in God or to be saved, having a church family is also a wonderful thing to be a part of. Our family had recently found a church that we all loved that summer before the accident. Until then, my husband and I could never agree on a church home for our family. We had also recently started nightly devotions with the boys. They loved that time together as a family and would listen to every word of the devotion. They wouldn’t let me forget the nightly devotion because every night they would remind me that it was devotion time! This too I believe is not a coincidence. The devil comes to kill, steal and destroy. The devil decided that our family was a threat and decided to test our faith in the most absolute way possible. You see, we were finally doing everything right.
If things seem hard in your life right now and you feel as if everything that could go wrong has, it may just be that you are actually doing everything right too. God doesn’t promise us that life will be without trials. In fact, the opposite is true. He tells us that there will be trials to face, but He assures us that we won’t be alone. And from the moment I received the call at 4:09 pm that our boys were trapped in a car and all were critical injuried, He never left my side. I can tell you without any hesitation that God will always be there for you too. Press forward. Push on. When all seems hopeless and lost, remember that you are going to win the fight, because God is there fighting this battle with you.
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