10 Reasons Why We Are Okay

Many wonder how it is,

As we live our lives,

Day-by-day.

We also wonder how it is,

But there are at least ten reasons,

We are okay.

***

I’ve written about grief for seven years – about my experiences of grief through marital separation and divorce, when I felt I lost everything that meant most to me. I write about what God showed me and taught me over the three years I was single (2003-2006) whilst I established my Christian identity. But in this present season, as I continue to write on a subject I’m captivated by, many ‘read me’ as suffering, because of the present season. I have to declare that I’m okay, besides the obvious moments of sadness (which I embrace). I would go further; my wife is okay as well. We are okay.

How could we be okay? I found myself holding myself to account. There are at least 10 reasons:

1.      Prayer – we have that peace that transcends our understanding that Paul spoke of in Philippians 4:6-7. We can only attribute this peace to the many prayers that are being said on our behalf. We are in your debt.

2.      Perspective – as I asked my wife, “What gets you through?” she said quite emphatically, “In the overall scheme of things it isn’t the end of the world, though it is the end of one life.” I sense that she is being honest yet pragmatic. It’s just another reason why I am in love with this woman.

3.      Eternity – our baby, as soon as he or she is born, will soon experience the ultimate in healing, and to wait there with God for each of us. There is no time in eternity. Literally the next moment we will be reconciled.

4.      Family and Friends – there are so many people, who, in their own way, are loving us for such a time of this. Each person’s love is unique, and, as it is, it’s very special to us.

5.      Gratitude – we cannot help but feel thankful for all the little things that God has given us, notwithstanding opportunities, even in this season, as well as the big things – like our faith. The deeper we dig into gratitude, the more of its precious ore we extract for refining.

6.      Blessing – we know, at least to a substantial degree, just how blessed we are to already have children; to live a privileged life and have the privilege of serving God.

7.      Encouragement – as we seem to be encouraging others, their love is such an encouragement to us. We know that God, alone, deserves the glory for every trial and hardship any of us endure well. It is just wonderful to be encouraged.

8.      Love – our lives have been enriched by love, and, as a husband, I can tell you that I have fallen in love, more and more, over the past three months, with my wife. She is such a wonderful woman. But then there is the multiplicity of love in the people I come in contact with. I’m amazed by how much love we have received.

9.      Hope – we may only have precious seconds to spend with our baby whilst his or her cells remain oxygenated. But our hope it isn’t an earthly hope; it is an eternal hope. We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. We believe life transcends the body and physical remembrances of life.

10. Faith – it promises to get us through; through this time, and through subsequent challenges, and through to the end of our lives. There is no substitute for traversing life than faith outworked in love fuelled by hope.

© 2014 S. J. Wickham.