A Shooting Star and a Rainbow
Lessons in life never stop coming! I’ve been counseling as a pastor for almost thirty years. I’ve heard stories and situations that will curl your hair. But because life is so much bigger than we are, we will always be experiencing something new. That is the case this past week. I have heard numerous times about women having a miscarriage and losing the baby. But I’ve never had to be available to help someone through that tragedy. I’ve helped parents through crib deaths and teen age suicide, all of which are just horrible. When we lost our son Mic, I reached depths of pain I never knew existed. But now something new.
My daughter Nella and her husband Derrick are going through a miscarriage as I write this article. To say the least they are devastated. We as parents hate this kind of destruction in the lives of our children because there are never clear answers as to why? The doctors don’t know why. One out of four pregnancies ends this way. Luanne and I never experienced this in the three births of our children. This world is pregnant with everyone asking why. Getting answers brings resolution. Having no answers leave things unresolved. Being faced with new challenges, unchartered territory and making bad choices make this world a world of chaos. This shouldn’t surprise us as the Prince of the world is Satan.
All of this new experience and understanding comes from circumstances that are thrust upon you. You don’t have a choice. Life happens. This makes me think about what Jesus would have been through. Jesus, His human side, didn’t see all that His God side could see because He chose to limit Himself. He relied on the will of the Father for direction. This is what we are supposed to do. But Jesus chose to die for us. He laid down His own life only to take it up again. During the time Jesus went through the toughest times, God always comforted Him. I would like to share how God did that for me during this time.
When I got the call from Luanne about the miscarriage, I was up in Red Bluff. So, I had to make a two hour and fifteen-minute trip home to be with the family. This is what happened when we lost our son Mic. However, I was in Sacramento and had to drive to Red Bluff to be with the family. Both deaths have required a long road trip to get home. It gave me lots of time to think and cry. When Mic passed and as I was driving home, God gave me a sign in the form of a shooting star. It was just what I needed as dawn was breaking. It brought some comfort knowing what I perceived as God telling me He hasn’t forgotten me. Then when I was coming back during this last death, God gave me a double rainbow to remind me He is in control. Both incidents brought me comfort. They didn’t relieve the pain, but knowing God is in control brings hope.
The rainbows that we see here are only half. So, when the storms of life are over, and when heaven is our abode, the rainbow is complete – full circle around our God. Revelation 4:3.
My family thanks you for praying for our family. God is in control. Easter is the greatest example of that truth! Happy Easter!!
In Christ,
Pastor Mike
