Shining in the Dark

Last night many of us waited for the dark to descend so that we would be able to see something beautiful. We corporately celebrated with gratitude our many freedoms. Our country wrestles with real difficulties, yet we still mark what is true and good with sparkling “lights” that shine even brighter in the darkness.

Last Sept. 6th, all moms on our MomsHooPray and University of Praying Moms rosters received an emergency email request to pray for UVA Class of 2020, Aly Lee. Her journey of suffering can be found here. (scroll down to start with her first article, “I had a stroke?”)

But first, read and celebrate with me the amazing young woman that is reflected below in her follow up email to her interviewer on a podcast called The Same Boat. Thank you, Aly, for shining your light on what is true and good. And thank you, moms, for your faithful prayers!

Hi Roy,

I hope you have been well. I have been reflecting a bit more since our interview and thought I’d share a few of the thoughts our conversation sparked if you don’t mind.

After thinking more about God being a God for not just the spiritual/emotional, but also the physical…. it struck me that this concept is actually quite clearly reflected in the Gospel. Jesus didn’t save us through spiritual/emotional means, he actually physically became flesh and sacrificed his physical body. I don’t think I had ever really meditated on the fact that Jesus not only knows our emotional pain, but he knows our physical pain as well— he knows what it’s like to have sharp objects stuck in your skin (for me it’s the needles for blood test, for him it was the nails that pierced him to the cross).

This made me think of one of the helpful things one of my mentors said to me. We met one day and he had me read the passage in Romans that talks about suffering producing perseverance, etc. I was reluctant to go through this passage because many people have quoted/paraphrased these verses to me as “encouragement.” It often came across as minimizing the present pain I felt and it often came from people who weren’t currently suffering. This mentor, however, asked me to consider who was saying these verses. And I realized these verses were ultimately coming from God– from Jesus who died on the cross.

Though the people who quote these verses to me may not know a lot about suffering, the God who is ultimately saying them to me certainly does– and not just on an emotional level but a physical level. So when Jesus weeps with me, I know he genuinely weeps. And I can fully trust when he says that this present suffering is nothing compared to the future glory… because he is living proof of that!

Anyway, I just thought I’d share by way of saying thank you. Reflecting on the questions you asked have helped me gain a deeper awe of who our savior is, what kind of love he has for us, and what kind of hope that offers me as I journey through this.

Aly

Aly’s articles – Cavalier Daily

Aly’s interview: Ep 17 Needles and Nails/The Same Boat Podcast

Congrats to MomHoo’ Pam O’Meara, whose diligence to follow instructions for the 2019 MomsHOO’ Graduation Photo Contest put her in the winners’ circle for a free stay at “The Burleson CharlottesVilla!”