When God Shows Up: Real Stories of FaithНамуна

Transcript:

Welcome to this special conversation as we close out Chapter 1. Over the past 9 days, we’ve heard testimonies of incredible individuals who have walked through the storm of loss and grief, and testimonies of widows who have faced deep pain and experienced God’s presence right there with them.

Today, we’re here with Amy, who has experienced Jesus walking with her through her journey of widowhood, and she has been able to walk alongside others in their journey of widowhood. Thank you for joining us.

So, Amy, Grief can feel like a storm. What did the early days of grief look like for you or the women you’ve walked with?

‘It definitely feels like a storm. I would say waves are the way I would describe it. There are so many unknowns, and I used to describe it like a rollercoaster, where you never really knew what the next thing was coming. You had good days, where it was like… I’m finally getting past that part of the pain, and then a bad day would come. And the thing we have to recognize about people walking through grief is that the stages of grief don’t just come in this linear path. They are waves. They go up and down.’

What helped you believe that God was still present in the middle of your pain?

‘I think the biggest thing for me was others showing up in my pain and God reminding me that he was part of my story. We say a lot here at Stand in the Gap, “God sightings,” so I had lots of moments where I was in my car and the right worship song came on, and it was a reminder that God was still good in the midst of all my pain. And so, it's the little things. It’s the answered prayers. It’s the small moments of peace in the midst of our storms.’

How have you seen God ‘walk toward’ someone in the middle of their storm?

'I believe God uses his people to walk towards us in the midst of our storms. It’s this ministry that we get to be a part of, where it’s widows showing up for other widows. I like the biblical model of Jesus walking towards the disciples in the boat and saying, ‘Peace, be with you.’ And God uses his people to do that, and he allows them to walk into our storms. They’re not afraid of our storms, and they’re walking into our storms because many of them have been through a similar thing, and so they want to help us through that.’

Why do you trust God even in the storm?

‘God is faithful. Like, our God is a faithful God. And no matter what storms you're facing, whether it’s grief or another type of storm, we have to remember that our God is a good, faithful God. What you’re going through may not feel good. What you’re going through may feel like the worst storm of your life, especially if you’re losing a spouse and you’ve gone through all of that – but our God is a good God, and he wants to remind you that this earth is not the end – we have a hope and a future and an eternity, so that’s why I keep doing this.’

Why do you think sharing your testimony is important?

‘First of all, it points others to God. And that’s ultimately what a testimony is about – it’s what I’ve been through that can help others, and so that’s why we share our testimony. For me personally, I had people show up in my story, like Deanna – which, if you have read anything about Stand in the Gap, you know my story about Deanna, but she walked into my storm – going back to the people who walk into our storm – and that’s part of being the testimony, is we continue on, because everyone who’s been through this type of journey knows that we need others in it, and so testimony is a huge part of that. The more I share, the more vulnerable I am, the more that God can use that to help other people.’

What would you say to someone who feels like they are in a storm right now?

‘Lean into God. It’s so easy for us as people of faith to often think we can figure it out on our own and we don’t really need him and, you know, I can make a plan and I can make an outline of what my life is gonna look like. But when we’re in the middle of the storms, that’s when we need to lean into Him even more. Don’t turn our backs on Him, and then lean into the people in our stories. He puts the people in our stories for a reason. He puts them there to walk in our storms with us. So, leaning into the people He surrounds us with, and into Him, and His great, compassionate love for us is really what we can do in the midst of our struggles.'

Thank you so much for sharing your heart with us today. We hope these stories remind you that even in the storms, God is right there with you through every wave.