My testimony is that this strength God gives, is not for play play and it enables you to do exceedingly far more than you can think and imagine. I was the one driving the parents, hers and my mom and an aunty to the funeral home. How I did that both before and after is the mysterious ways of this Good God that pours his love on all his children. I had prayed to God before the journey to help me, when I realised, I would be the one driving them. He answered my prayers just like he has, all my life.
When I say God never leaves us nor forsakes us, I am not just quoting the Excellent Book, I am talking from real life experience of difficult times, with grief being the top of those difficult times. When the Excellent Book says Oh taste and see that the Lord is Good, it is the absolute truth. After the funeral home visit, I arrived home at around 5am and the next morning, we were due to be back at the funeral home by 7 or 8am. Despite the emotional viewing and my less than 2 hours of sleep, I woke up feeling fresh, but this was a different kind of fresh.
This was the peace that surpasses all understanding, fresh. It’s like I needed to see Sonnia to feel at peace. On the funeral day, again I found out I was doing the eulogy and I did it from a place of more strength; no teary emotions, quivering voice and alternating pitch at the end part. Even though I cried at the interment, I expected to be far worse than that BUT GOD! I expected the journey to be a certain way and the faithfulness of God has exuded throughout this time. It reminds me of a sermon I heard by pastor Henry Wright, that God cuts the problems you have according to your size.
I love how pastor D. Snell puts it. When a parent goes for shopping and gives the kids the shopping to carry, he gives the eldest the heavy one, the small one he gives a lighter one and the heaviest bag, the father will carry himself. When God is allowing certain things to happen in our lives or is hitting us with things that we later find were shaping us, he knows how he has distributed these “shopping bags”. God believes in our abilities, because its Him who has given us the ability to go through the fire and 1. Not look like we’ve been in it and 2. come out like a spakoring (sparkling) Diamond, tough, resilient, and unbreakable.
How are you going to break when first of all you are made in the image of God! Where did you hear God broke! Secondly, however you feel, which is true and undeniable, doesn't negate that he is with you because he is your God and Father, he is willing to help you, strengthen you and uphold you with his victorious right hand. Thirdly, he says if you feel the shopping bag is too heavy, give it to him, he will gladly carry it for you, because he is a kind, loving, understanding, supportive Father like that and that is his job. Let him do it. God has Everything you need and you will not perish. The other things may have something for you but they will also have, something for you. Come as you are and he will gladly welcome and help you.
My testimony is that in the area of grief, God has made me victorious by also teaching me about the reality of death. The reality of death as the Excellent Book says, which is where we should be taking the truth from, and why I encourage us to read it daily, is that it will one day be destroyed. It will not be here forever. The other truth and the reason why I am sharing these testimonies as a way of getting people to believe in Jesus as the truth and life, is that Jesus is the resurrection. Nothing defeats him, not even death. Ask him, he woke up on the 3rd day. Hallelujah! This means that your pain is not even too hard for him, at all! Thank you Jesus!
That also means the next and final time he comes back, all those who believed in him will rise FIRST! Then the rest who are still alive will be taken up and so we shall be reunited forever. This is why we all need to believe, because then this death that we see now, can never separate us. It is not the end. This comforting truth is my go-to and my strength when someone now passes or when my grief pops up. The Excellent book says, if we know and believe this then even if we mourn, we won’t mourn as if there is no hope. THERE IS! Glory to God!
Its ok to mourn, Jesus wept and he knew full well the next minute he was going to wake Lazarus up. We mourn with hope because The Resurrection is alive and seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us and preparing for us our mansions as he waits for his beloved Father to tell him So send I you to pick my beloved children. What a day of rejoicing that will be! Side note, what kind of Mansions are these going to be because 1. they're being prepared by Jesus who created the universe with just words and 2. He has been preparing these mansions since he left this raggedy earth. ooooowi! visualise my friend, visualise. I can't wait(but lets all go together)!
On one of my walks, I imagined how that day would be if Jesus was to come at that time I was walking. I did a rehearsal in my head of how that would be, seeing Sonnia, my grandma and dad. To complete my in-head rehearsal, the song "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be" came to me. I know our divine Counsellor and Helper was responsible for that. Let me tell you that visualisation gave me joy and now that is my favourite Hymn. When I hear it, I am just smiley because I know it will happen. Thank you Jesus!
Humans, we are interesting. We have vision boards for the things we want on this earth, things that will die, all vanity as Ecclesiastes in the Excellent Book says, but we don’t create a vision of THAT DAY, when Jesus comes, and we know he is coming back! (Terminator stole that line from Jesus by the way)We need to visualise that day when all our troubles will be gone FOREVER! Visualise it and remind yourself as often as you can. It will change your outlook on grief and all the valleys of life.
This is my testimony that God saw it fitting for me to join his Grief Masterclass as Owner of the Universe, Owner of all things Living, Resurrector of all who are patiently waiting for the resurrection. What a mighty God! My testimony has continued because on the 1-year anniversary, again, this theme of me expecting things to be bad, just didn’t happen. I was in a place of strength, peace and comfort, special gifts that only God can give.
Some of the other testimonies of this era of 31-40 are in my blog posts. There is so much more I can share, and I will share it as I continue to testify of how God is Good, God is Great, God is the ultimate Best. Your life is divinely ordered, even to a song you think you are listening to randomly. I used to listen to Travis Green “Be Still” here and there. God knew that song would help me on that day when I could only pray two words. I listened to that song all day, as I couldn’t watch or listen to anything else. It reminded me that whatever happens, God is always God and he is in control.
He is in control of those shopping bags. The devil would like to give you more, but God doesn't allow it, because even the devil has to obey God. Ask that looser, what God told him not to do, when he went for Job. God is in control, his ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not ours. Lean not on your understanding because you will not understand. You are 100% human he is 100% God. God knows how to turn the devils traps around, for your good. This battle of life is his and he will fight for you because one thing about the God who owns this universe, the House always wins! Again, these humans like stealing from God!
Every fire you are in, God is right there with you. Even the Nebuchadnezzar’s around you will know this is true. You never see Oxygen but you know it is there. How much more is God present in your life? What I would like you to take from this era is the most painful experience of your life, is not your life. God didn’t create you to suffer, the chapter of this book is just that. There is so much more and you are more than your painful experience and feelings.
Give God full permission, to do as he wants to do, because for him, he sees endless ways around and out of your situation. He also has a time for it. Let the devil not lie to you like he loves to, that just because you don't know the time or can't see the time, doesn't mean your season is permanent. In the cycle/circle of life one thing is sure, seasons must end. You only have to believe, and you will see the mountain move.
To my 40s, the era where mountains will have no choice but to move because God is Powerful, God is Sovereign, God is Good, God is Great, God is the Ultimate Best!
Related Verses
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Isaiah Isaiah 55:8-9
Isaiah 41:10
Philipians 4:13
Genesis 18:14
Revelation 21:4
1 Corinthians 15:26
Psalm 7.12
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