Gracey Parts of Faith
Sharon W. Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1-3).
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Dear Friends,
One of the joys of Daily Treasure for me is to introduce writers who have and are encouraging me in my own life journey. I stumbled on Kara Dedert’s blog and knew I wanted you to hear from her. Her writings reveal her tender heart for the Lord and her family and in her own words: “You'll find me writing about the good, gritty, gracey parts of faith, family and home. I'm married to Darryl and we have five kids. One of our sons has severe disabilities from Zika. It's broken our hearts and also filled us with hope - I write about that too.”
I think one of the best ways to give you a taste of what to expect from Kara this week is to share one of the first blogs she posted after the diagnosis of her son’s severe disabilities from Zika.
An Unfamiliar Road
By Kara Dedert, Guest Writer
At times in life, we are forced to change our course, not our destination or purpose, but the way we get there.
We never dreamed that we would be called to care for a special needs child because, well, that happens to other people, right? But the course of our lives has changed dramatically in just two months. Plans that we had are on hold, expectations of what life was going to be like are changed, and instead, we quietly wait, not knowing what tomorrow will bring and unable to plan for tomorrow. And as we wait, friends and family come alongside us and, in God’s good timing, share truths needed at the very moment; we need to hear them. It’s like He’s leaving us crumbs on this new road, letting us know He is still here, leading us, upholding us, caring for us, when everything else cries out that He has left us or surely made some mistake.
Here are some encouragements pointed out to us along the way:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1-3).
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
“Be content with what you have, or he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
Contentment doesn’t depend on our circumstances. We can be content because we have Him, and with that we can face our circumstances. He is enough, more than enough!
Another good friend sent a note: “Here is a bit of insight that I had in the life of Joseph and Mary. Have you ever noticed that despite the great injustice (no room in the inn) and great hardship (pregnant lady traveling miles on the back of a donkey), misunderstood by people (he is an illegitimate child), they were possessing the world’s greatest Blessing and would be used as a blessing for countless others. God is in our trials and will use them for our good and the good of others.”
There have been times I’ve looked at my precious son and his circumstances and am tempted to see the picture as broken or wrong. But even if I can’t make sense of the picture or figure out how to put it together, I know that the end result is good and beautiful. I know God has placed a tremendous blessing in our hands.
We step into 2010 on a new and unfamiliar course and with hesitant but thankful hearts. I am sure this new course will be peppered with blessings and challenges beyond our prediction. A new course, but the same Father to lead us along the way.
For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s words await another voice. To make an end is to make a beginning.
T.S. Eliot
Dec 31, 2009
Prepare your heart to be encouraged and challenged as Kara takes us into the heart of her faith and the blessings of their sweet Calvin.
Treasured by Him,
Sharon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Sunday, 13 November 2022.
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