Today is snowed. A lot. I called my grandpa after a late breakfast and as we finished our conversation, he asked if I was getting ready to have lunch. “Not yet. I am still finishing my coffee.” Of course, I didn’t tell him that it was my second cup. But I did already know what I was planning on the menu for lunch: soup and a bagel. Comfort food.
As I was organizing and sorting my books this week, I found a devotional book that I started last Fall, but put back on the shelf without finishing it. It’s titled, 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God that Invites You into His Story, by Dr. Larry Crabb. Dr. Crabb writes this particular read in a first-person dialect between himself and God. Taking each book of the Bible as a love letter from God, Dr. Crabb asks the question of what we are hear and learn from the love letter; how does it fit in our lives today? And what about the bigger story: God’s story?
Yesterday, I read Part Three: Living in Mystery with Wisdom and Hope. This section included Job through the Song of Songs. In this recent past week, I have had more thoughts of my upcoming appointments and health. In honesty, I think I am seeing a little glimpse of what bigger physical changes are happening, yet still trying to ignore the fact that it is actually happening. As I read Love Letter Nineteen: Psalms, God (in conversation with Dr. Crabb) states,
In the Psalms, I reveal what life is like for the person who lives in the storm with his eyes fixed on me. As you read the Psalms, hear me say this:
Face the hard questions that life requires you to ask. Gather with other travelers on the narrow road, pilgrims who acknowledge their confusion and fears. Then, together, live those questions in My Presence. (Crabb, 91.)
My first response–“I don’t want to face the hard questions.” It has been leading up to this point all week–just from different events, conversations, thoughts or songs coming to mind, and things read in other books–but this morning’s conversation with my grandpa helped finalize the point: facing my hard questions is inevitable. But I don’t face them alone. We all face hard questions about the circumstances in our lives. The true comfort comes is knowing that we’re held and forever in God’s Story.
P.S. This song came to mind this week: “Held” by Natalie Grant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOufqWodFNo
Crabb, Larry. 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God that Invites You into His Story. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009.)
My Life with NF2 
I am eating soup right now!!! So comforting and pleasant on a snowy and cold day. Love you!!! Miss you. xoxoxo Love, Melissa
This song always brings tears to my eyes… it’s good to know that God holds us through everything we go through in this life, isn’t it? ~Megs
P.S. I’ve gotta get ahold of this “66 Letters” book – I’ve been wanting to read this ever since you told me and since I only have 4 books on my list of wanting to read 5 this year, I’m adding that one in the list which so far I’ve read The Hiding Place, but now I need to get reading the rest:
The Hobbit
66 Letters
Ark Fever
Little Women
These are my pick of “good reads” to get read for 2014:) XOXO!!
That’s a good list of reads. 🙂 And look no further for 66 Love Letters, as my copy is sitting on my bookshelf. If you come out by May for Marcia’s graduation, you can take it home with you. If that doesn’t work, I’ll ship it book rate to your door! 🙂 xoxo