Sadness...

Well, it's been a rough couple of days for us. Our hamster, Harvey, passed away. Even though we knew hamsters don't live long, and we could see him declining, it has still been hard on us. He was so cute and a great source of stress relief. Couldn't resist him when he would stuff his cheeks with food. Then there was the time he had both cheeks stuffed and tried to climb into his wheel and fell out. On top of the loss of Harvey, I had a stomach bug, and Andy still hasn't gotten rid of this cold. All of this meant that I was a train wreck on Saturday, my mom came down--frankly, I needed her right then. 33 years old and still need my mother.

Anyhow, I realized throughout all this that God sees what is going on, and He cares. After all, Jesus said, "Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it." (Matthew 10: 29)  So I knew that God was there when Harvey died, He sees our grief and has provided comfort. This comfort has come in the form of family, and friends, and the Word. It has come in the form of  distraction...good books, good movies, and good music. It's all the ways to not wallow in the sorrow that comes. It also comes in the form of the church...not the building, but the body of Christ. It's important to remember that what modern day people think of as a church would be a foreign concept to the first Christians. We need the church...so the fact that I spent several hours at church today was good for me as well. Being in the presence of fellow brothers and sisters is always good for me. I thank God for the way He manifests Himself, and I pray that I will allow Him to use me to minister to others.