When Heartbreak Falls Around You

Lately, what’s been going on in Jerry’s and my life, could be an award-winning, old-time country song. Ranking with the likes of You Picked A Fine Time to Leave Me, Lucille, or Achy, Breaky, Heart, what’s been happening could be the makings of a number one hit.

All within a few days:

+Five of our chickens—including Gracie who would plant herself in front of Jerry, so he could pick her up, stroke her back, while talking to her as he walked around the chicken yard—were eaten by a bobcat.
+Jerry’s roommate from college, a best friend and comrade, passed away suddenly from a massive stroke.
+Our brand new dryer that only had two months of use on it, died.
+And our dream for P’Niel, our retreat venue, could be in imminent jeopardy….

It has been a hard and heartbreaking week.

So unbelievably tough, we have had to laugh to keep from crying. If we wrote a country lyric, it could begin something like this:

It’s been a hard, hard, week
And a long, long day,
The chickens were eaten,
They couldn’t get away.

My best friend left me
As he walked through Heaven’s door,
My heart can’t take,
Much of anymore…*

That’s the way we have all felt at one time or another. Circumstances and disappointments seem to hit in one fell swoop, too often leaving us drowning in the aftermath of shock, disbelief, and disillusionment. “When it rains, it pours,” is a reality experienced by all.

Solomon tells us in the book of Ecclesiastes 1:9 ESV. “…There is nothing new under the sun.” That truth though doesn’t lessen the harshness or hurtfulness of uncertainty and heartache.

My first response to all that happened—especially to the dream of what Jerry and I feel God has placed on our hearts to do at P’Niel—was to mentally take a stoic stand, facing what could lie ahead with flint-like courage. Afterwards though, in the middle of the night when the shock had worn off and I was alone with my thoughts, a debilitating numbness began to creep in. Taking my tears and wounded heart before the Lord, I remembered the story of King Hezekiah when he received the blasphemous letter threatening war from Sennacherib, King of Assyria. He placed his fears on the altar of the Lord. (See 2 Kings 19:14-19.) In the wee hours of the morning, I placed the possible peril of P’Niel and the ramifications of that on our lives, before God Almighty.

Not knowing God’s will in this matter, and not knowing what to pray, I prayed His Will and to know it also. And now, as I write this blog, I pray to trust Him completely, no matter the outcome.

At the end of the book of Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT, Solomon, in his God-given wisdom came to this final conclusion.

“…Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.”

And that is a good word for us all.

Please pray for Jerry and me to walk in faith, in His Word.

During this trial, Psalm 146: 5,6 ESV—especially the last part of verse six which I have underlined and typed in bold—has been deeply comforting.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;

Finally, to add to our one-hit country wonder…

Much of anymore,
Much of anymore,
Slammed by regret.
Dreading what’s next.

Reminded of this
Satan’s darts will miss,
My Savior’s in my heart, And,
God’s got this.*

God’s truly got this.

Kimberly

* © 2018 Jerry and Kimberly Bryant-Palmer