More Beauty from Ashes

No, I'm so sorry, this is not the dream post. I promise that it's coming! I'm so honored that so many of you are so eager to hear about my Libby dream! It'll be done soon, but in the meantime I had myself a little moment at the Ash Wednesday service and I just wanted to share that as well. Thank you God for continuing to surprise me after all these years, for letting me always have more of You to learn.

Facebook post:

Sometimes when we hear the same words, the same messages over and over they can lose some of their impact.

There was a safe familiarity for me tonight, sitting in the Ash Wednesday service. We heard messages about the sacrifice Christ made so that we could have heaven. There was reflection certainly, but also comfort, like slipping your cold feet into a pair of well broken in slippers. It was familiar and reassuring. As we sang songs on the same themes, certain lyrics struck a chord. "Jesus paid it all / All to Him I owe," and from another song, "Oh praise the One who paid my debt / And raised my life up from the dead."

Our family obviously continues to have death on the brain. That mindset then naturally intertwines inself into song lyrics like these. And this has never happened before, since I am not at all musical, but I found myself adjusting the lyrics.

"Jesus paid it all... for Libby, All to Him I owe."

"Oh praise the One who paid her debt,
And raised her life up from the dead."

In that moment, I had a whole new understanding of Lent. I've heard my whole life about what He's done for me, for everyone. And I know that it is true and good. I'm so grateful for that gift, the promise that we'll get to have forever in heaven. But as I put my child's name into these lyrics... wow.

Who do you love more than yourself? Who would you protect at all costs? Put their name, the enormity of your love for them in these lyrics. All of a sudden I had learned a whole new level of gratitude for what Christ had done. One Parent helping out this parent's child in a way I could never do for her myself. I truly do owe Him everything. He saved my girl. He gave her a glorious, joy-filled life after she died. He gave me the gift of being able to say, with confidence, these past seven months, "I know she's doing awesome. We just really miss her."