Holes With A Purpose

Todays blog is dedicated to my precious niece, Allison, and her daughter, Ruby Lynn. Alli's husband, Drew, went ahead of Allison and Ruby to check out their mansion in the sky. Driving home from a family vacation, Drew, 26, was killed in a car accident. Allison was 7 months pregnant with Ruby Lynn. While we will have to wait to get there to find out why The Lord took him sooner than we wanted, we trust that He has great plans for Drew's' girls as they cling to their Hope in Him. 

Dear Allison,

I recently attended a conference where the main theme for the weekend was The Power of a Story. Several people shared powerful stories. A neuroscientist, Curt Thompson, led the weekend as he connected the brain activity that occurs when hearing others stories and telling ours.

One of the "storytellers", Marvel DeWitt, shared her family's journey through the months and years of grief and heartache following their 26 year old son's sudden death caused by a drunk driver.

As friends ministered to her with words of encouragement, some of them mentioned the hole in her life due to her son's absence. How would God fill this hole? Those of us who know that God is in the redemptive business readily assumed that God would fill the void with something of great value and purpose.

Several years following her son's death, as she was still waiting for the hole in her heart to be filled, the Lord revealed to her that sometimes there are holes in our lives that remain for a purpose.

Holes can bring great beauty to our lives. Not only do they serve to allow the healing and freeing attributes and characteristics of Christ to splash out onto those we come in contact with, but they also provide a way for Light to shine through. Matthew 5.14 says, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." Holes can illuminate His light and cast out darkness.

My prayer for you is that in the days and years to come you will see a small glimpse of the beauty of your holes. Holes do not signify incompleteness. Rather, they are great deliverers of the goodness that God longs to pour out on others through your story.

Love you,

Aunt Chelie

(photo courtesy of Keva Davis)