Monday, May 26, 2008
A Tribute to Maria Sue Chapman
I don't know about you, but at times like this, my human weakness comes shining through...with questions. I do trust in God--I know His ways are perfect and right all the time. I trust in His sovereignty. He is never caught off guard...He knows it all before it happens. Nothing is accidental in His eyes. I do know this.
My human tender heart questions why, though, even though I know these things. Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for good to those who are called according to His purposes...what good is so important that this had to happen? Why couldn't it happen another way? What lessons needs to be learned that could have been learned a different way? I think it is at times when children die or suffer, that I tend to ask these kinds of questions. God, what is it that we all need to see from this tragedy? Will we ever know why?
So, am I not trusting that God's ways are best right now? God, in these times, forgive me for my unbelief and questions. I know Your ways are higher than my ways. I know only a holy and just God can bring good from any of this.
I think one of the reasons that this bothers me so much is that Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, have had such a strong voice for the orphan child...He has not been just talk, but action in adopting 3 little girls from China. There has been such joy in their lives from these little girls. They have even inspired many families to adopt from China from the concerts and beautiful testimonies of how God worked all this out in their hearts and blessed them with adoption. So, in considering all of that, why them? Why one of their adopted daughters?
Why not any of us? After all, we all deserve death...it is a true blessing that we have any life at all. God has spared us from eternal death through His Son. Even the short life that Maria had was more than any of us deserve. Still, we live in the here and now and see things from human eyes that tends to focus on the temporal things of this world instead of the eternal views that only Our God can see.
So, my heart is heavy tonight. I have been so pleased to see the outpouring of love to this family...through all the comments on their blogs to facebook's comments, etc. We need to continue praying. I am planning on taking a break from my blog for a while to do just that. I have some other things I have been wanting to post on, but I can't seem to do it...it doesn't seem right...so, I think just taking some time away would be best--it can be a way to honor their family with my support and prayers.
I am a stay at home mother to 4. I am very blessed to have a godly husband who loves the Lord and his family. I welcome the days of much needed grace,the times of sweet victories,and the tears of trials,knowing it is all for God's glory. I want my lifesong to sing to Him,the author and finisher of my faith. Soli Deo Gloria--To the Glory of God alone.
14 Comments:
So beautifully put. This precious little girl had everything to live for. She had come so far. Why?
Only HE knows the end from the beginning. My heart has been so burdened for this family. Each time I wake up in the mornings for a brief moment I forget, then, the profound sadness over this situation comes upon my heart. It remains. It doesn't go away.
I am struggling with this as well. I am confident in God and His plan, but have waivered on the "Why them?"
I know that it has PROFOUNDLY affected me, and I am so burdened for them.
I am dedicating myself to prayer for them as well. I put my blog on auto post and will spend the computer time I usually spend on prayer for them.
Thanks for that challenge!
This just breaks my heart. I continue to pray for thier family.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful video. Your questions remind me of 3 men who stood before an awful death and said with the certainty of faith that they knew their God powerful and mighty enough to save them, but if He did not, they would still only bow to Him.
I don't know why the lesson couldn't be learned another way, but I do know that God will not only receive the praise and glory for it, but that He Himself will gently sustain each of us as we struggle in this crucible. May He comfort His children.
My heart is so heavy for them as well. We DO know that God is in control and that He will bring good from this. Our humanity is so frail. Thanks for being my cyber friend and sharing the pain for other Believers together with me. I appreciate you, Kim.
Kim, I posted on this as well and linked to your post. I truly appreciate your heart on this.
It's so difficult to understand. My heart is so heavy as well. I love how you put this into perspective. Thanks, Kim.
Thank you so much for posting that beautiful tribute video and for sharing honest reflections of your heart. It IS so very hard to understand when there seem to be no answers. I couldn't hold back my tears for them the other night...I was feeling just overwhelmingly heartbroken for them...this family I don't really even know and yet they've had such a profound impact in my life and that of countless others. How much more must they be hurting? At times like this, we must simply trust and pray.
Thank you for what you shared on my blog.
Blessings,
Tracy
This has been a hard, hard thing for so many of us to grasp. I am amazed by how this has impacted thousands and thousands of people. I have read their kids' blogs, their manager Jim Houser's blog and others, soaking up their lives, ministry and story, and as a result, grieving deeply with them. This breadth of the impact of this has really shown me what The Body truly is. So amazing. I'm with you... so many other things haven't seemed right in recent days.
Thank you for sharing some of your perspective on what is an unfathomable event in my little world. Your question is spot on: "Why not one of us?" How deserving we are of death, and how undeserving we are of every breath He gives. Praise the Lord, O my soul....
I think that you have written how many of us are feeling, and you did it very well my friend~
Several yrs ago as I listened and watched as Mary Beth Chapman give testimony of the story of Steven meeting Maria in China and the song he had written almost 10 yrs before, "Whose Going to Love Maria", God was planting seeds in my heart for us to adopt a child.
Several months later my husband and I listened to both of them as they gave testimony of their first adoption and how God had put adoption on their hearts.
Maria and the Chapmans are very special to me as they were instrumental in us adopting our 7 yr old son from China in January. Steven had done a concert in Shenyang, China just last month, the same city where we adopted our son. My daughter and I had just went to hear him in concert in April. I had been following his music for the past 20+ yrs and first concert I attended.
Several weeks ago I was in the hospital with one of my other children and I had been questioning God with "why this, and why now"? The same day that Maria had went home to be with the Lord, I was in the Christian Counselor's office and she asked me where I was spiritually. I told her that I had been questioning God as to Why the difficulties with my one child when we had been obedient with adopting our son recently. She told me something I will never forget. "no pain is wasted" There is a purpose for it and gave me verses on trusting God.
The next morning when I heard news of Maria's death I no longer ask God why for myself or my family's situation. I have felt so selfish with my "why" when I heard about Maria. God does have a purpose even though we don't understand and no pain is wasted.
Thanks Kim for sharing your heart.
Hey Kim, thanks for your comments on my blog re: the Chapmans. I know that they are being held up by the prayers of the believing family of God on their behalf. Just continue b/c it's been so incredibly difficult for the whole family, especially Will, who is a dear friend of my oldest son. But God is God, and they know Him, and trust Him, and are confident in His perfect plan.
Bless you. We all have questions in every tragedy, and noone is exempt from pain in this life. It is difficult to see them dealing with this. I have been lifting them up in prayer. Thank you for taking this time out to honor them.
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