Yes

Things will never be the same but for this, we have Jesus.

Receive Affliction with Courtesy

Count each affliction, whether light or grave,
God's messenger sent down to thee; do thou
With courtesy receive him; rise and bow;
And, ere his shadow pass thy threshold, crave
Permission first his heavenly feet to lave;
Then lay before him all thou hast; allow
No cloud of passion to usurp thy brow,
Or mar thy hospitality; no wave
Of mortal tumult to obliterate
Thy soul's marmoreal calmness. Grief should be
Like joy, majestic, equable, sedate;
Confirming, cleansing, raising, making free;
Strong to consume small troubles; to commend
Great thoughts, grave thoughts, thoughts lasting to the end.

Aubrey Thomas de Vere, 1814-1902

Do Hearts Prove False...

Do hearts prove false when thine is true?
I know the bitter dart;
I was betrayed by one I loved--
I died of a broken heart.
I loved my own, they loved Me not,
My heart was lonely, too;
I'll never leave thee, child of Mine,
My loving heart is true.

Have courage, then, My faithful one,
I suffered all the way,
Thy sensitive and loving heart
I understand today;
Whate'er thy grief, whate'er thy care
Just bring it unto Me;
Yea, in thy day of trouble, call,
And I will answer thee.

--Susanne C. Unlauf

Sitting on Thistles

Sitting on thistles doesn't do them any Good. Takes all the Life out of them.
~Eeyore

No, it doesn't do them any Good at all. Doesn't do me much Good, either.

I have chosen to sit on thistles and I've just got to quit that. Although it is hard on the thistles, it is hard on me, too. I know it's going to hurt; it hurt before; it will hurt again.

But I can't seem to quit sitting on thistles.

Wait...

Today I find myself face on the floor-literally-there are no words, only silent begging for my child.

No questioning why any more---my only question is what.

What do I do now?

"Be right with Me and wait.
"Do the next thing and wait.
"Love her, though it hurts.
"Rest in Me and wait."

I wait.

Not Very

"And how are you?" said Winnie-the-Pooh.

Eeyore shook his head from side to side. "Not very how," he said. "I don't seem to have felt at all how for a long time."

Mothering MaryGrace

Ministry is giving when you feel like keeping,
praying for others when you need to be prayed for,
feeding others when your own soul is hungry,
living truth before people even when you can't see results,
hurting with other people even when your own hurt can't be spoken,
keeping your word even when it is not convenient,
it is being faithful when your flesh wants to run away.
~Anonymous

Yes, that's ministry...but it's also mothering MaryGrace.