Everything begins with a before — a blissful unawareness. Ignorant anticipation.
I couldn't understand the intense pain or the incredible joy of having a baby —
Or the depth of sorrow receiving the phone call that my mother-in-law had passed away in the night —
until it happened to me.There is this time before the diagnosis — or the disclosure — or the dreaded phone call, when all seems status quo and routine.
But then a moment. A decision. A consequence. And it all changes.
The innocence of before snatched away by knowing.
And there are times I want to go back to before because the pain is too fierce, the disappointment too strong.
But there are equally afters, like having my kids, I would never trade — could never imagine going back to before.
I haven't always seen beauty in innocence.
Childhood wounds made me believe that not knowing hurts more. I spent many years thinking knowledge would have saved me — from things I now regret.
Today I see the innocence in my own children and I want to bottle it up and store it for them because there are things I wish they didn't have to see. Things I wish they didn't have to feel. Because they hurt.
But after is unavoidable and it's necessary.
And after, I have found — is where God hangs out and carries you into tomorrow.
Linking today with Lisa-Jo…
7 comments:
I like what you've written in the AFTER. We are never the same in the "after" because has used ordinary events to put extraordinary power in our souls.
Thank you, Chris!
i love the very last line: And after, I have found — is where God hangs out and carries you into tomorrow.
thats so true isnt it...
sometimes in the after its hard to know what to do... but in that moment God is there, esp in those hard times, to wrap His arms around us. to love us. to give us rest. to carry the burdens.
thanks for sharing. i pray your children and family have many good afters, and that most of all they know will the love and peace of Christ with them always, in every situation
Great post!! So true. The afters are what drives us to our knees.
Such a nice concept of knowing equals loss of innocence.
I hope God continues to wrap his arms around you.
Laura Hedgecock
http://www.TreasureChestofMemories.com
http://www.Twitter.com/LauraLHedgecock
Thank you, One Passion-One Devotion, for your encouragement and prayers.
Nellie: Yes, the afters are often scary, but it brings us closer to Him.
Laura: Thanks for visiting! I appreciate your kind words!
The AFTER is a good and happy place, isn't it? And it is that way because God is always there. Beautifully written.
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