All of you that have been kind enough to read my blog posts realize that my whole professional career has been spent in the building material supply industry. I enjoy it, (for the most part!), and I enjoy the people that I meet, and the opportunities and the challenges that are presented to me.
One of the most fun parts of my job is when i get to interact with a person/couple/family that are getting ready to start construction of their new home...especially, when the home is the first one that they have been a part of building. They are so excited. Sometimes they are almost giddy. They know the expectations that they are enjoying will result in the realization of a dream that they have. Many times, however, they do not realize that the path from the initial dream to the ultimate realization of that dream may be scattered with some difficulties and heartaches. This journey through
"Building a Home" is not radically different than the journey through
"Building a Life."
One of the things that are difficult sometimes for the new home owner is visualizing how the "finished product" will look when it is completed. Therefore, for more reasons than just aesthetics, the home owner solicits the services of an architect or designer to help them on their journey. Those professionals know what is required to be done to be in compliance with building codes, and quality and functionality concerns are one of their biggest roles. But, one of the most important parts to their role in the construction process is to let the home owner know what the home will look like when it is finished. If the home owner trusts and follows the leadership of a trained and qualified architect or designer, the entire process will be much more enjoyable and satisfying.
All of that has been said so that I can say this....I am reprinting a letter below, that was written by a dear friend of mine back in 2001. After facing some trying issues in his own life (similar to many of us), he came across the copy of this letter as he was cleaning out his desk last week. He knew that I was writing this blog, and one of my goals in writing it was to be able to help other folks who are travelling difficult roads. He gave me his permission to share this letter with anyone that I thought might benefit from reading it. So, that is what I have chosen to do today in this post. It is long, but very worthwhile, and my buddy, Jeff Newton, would be honored if you chose to share it with someone else.....especially if it helped them through some dark times in their lives.
His biggest realization after writing (and then reading) this letter again years later, was that he has found out who the
Greatest Architect or Designer in the world really is....Hope you enjoy!! Teddy
The Master’s Plan
Originally written in October 2001
Edited February 25, 2011
by Jeff Newton
It was a Sunday morning in early October, 2001. Just another Sunday or so I
thought. Our family went to church that Sunday morning as we always did.
Running a few minutes late as we drove across town, our thoughts and
conversations were centered around ourselves mostly – our plans for the
afternoon and that sort of thing. We never really gave thought to the fact that
God had plans for us that day – and every day for that matter.
The Sunday service was pretty normal. As usual it was a great time of praise
and worship to the LORD – a welcomed diversion from the hum-drum of
everyday life. The sermon that day was a particularly good one. The
scripture that was used was
Jeremiah 29:11 which reads,
“For I know the
plans I have for you”, declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you
and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future.”
You know a sermon is good when you are left with The Word after all is
said and done. I don’t remember a lot of what the pastor said but
Jeremiah 29:11 began to penetrate my heart. At the time I had no
idea just how much that Word would mean to me in the days to come.
After church we went home and spent the afternoon just hanging out as a
family. We discussed whether or not my wife and 2 older kids should go
back to church for the evening service or if we should all just stay at home.
You see, my youngest daughter Emily, 7, has a severe form of Epilepsy
which has affected her in many ways. One of the things we always do is
make sure she has plenty of rest. Because of that, we don’t take her out on
school nights, so either my wife or I will stay home with her while the other
takes the older kids to church on Sunday and Wednesday nights. On this
afternoon, however, we were playing a game as a family and we just decided
to stay home and enjoy some quality family time.
Then, around 5:45, our plans changed. As we were intensely involved in a
hard fought game of Pictionary, Emily fell on the floor into a Grand Mal
seizure. We quickly administered the emergency medication that is designed
to bring her out of the seizure (it is a 10mg dose of Valium given rectally)
but the seizure continued. After a few minutes of no change, we decided to
give her a second dose. At this point we have been instructed to call for
paramedics because of the potential dangers of the administration of that
much Valium. When the paramedics arrived at 6:20, she was still seizing.
This was highly unusual. In fact, we can’t remember her ever not coming out
of a seizure after administering the second dose. When the paramedics
arrived and saw what was happening, they rushed her into the ambulance
and began transporting her to the hospital. She came out of the seizure in the
ambulance on the way to the hospital, nearly an hour after it started!
You can probably imagine the emotions my wife and I were feeling, not to
mention our other two kids (Brandon 12 & Haley 13). We have become
accustomed to seeing Emily have seizures but when you see your little sister
quickly scooped up by a visibly concerned paramedic and rushed into an
ambulance, it’s more than just another episode. We were all dealing with
fear, uncertainty, helplessness and even a little anger.
Once we all arrived at the hospital and found that she was out of the seizure,
we knew that she was OK. Naturally we were relieved but we were still very
frustrated. Emily had just been through a period of about 3 months with very
little seizure activity and was doing as well as she had done in a long, long
time. She was going to school regularly. In fact, she had not missed a day
since school had started in mid August and was really showing some
dramatic improvements. Then, in one blow, all that was pushed aside and the
seizure activity returned with a vengeance. What was this all about? What’s
going on God?
After a few hours of waiting at the hospital while they ran some
precautionary tests, Haley, Brandon and I decided we would go get a
hamburger for dinner. As we sat at the table at Wendy’s, we began to
discuss the events of the evening.
Jeremiah 29:11 just jumped out at me. It
was no accident that we had heard that scripture preached that very morning.
It hit me – God has a plan! I know it sounds so simple but for the first time
that really hit me. Sure I had heard it before but for some reason it
penetrated to a place inside me that it never had before. God has a plan for
Emily’s life right now, just the way she is. You see, before this day I
believed that God had a plan for Emily’s life and as soon as He healed her
He could get on with His plan. But finally it hit me. We are living His plan
right now. Does his plan include Emily’s healing in this lifetime? I don’t
know. I hope and pray that it does but what if it doesn’t? Would that
somehow diminish who God is? The enemy wants us to believe that. The
enemy wants us to think things like, “If God is really who He says He is and
if He really loves us then why doesn’t He heal Emily?” What do we expect
of God? Do we want Him to line everything up just right so that our plans
for our lives work out just right? I have plans for my kids. I want them to be
healthy, get a good education, a good job, marry the right person and have a
family. But what about God’s plan? Did I even ask Him?
Jeremiah 29:11
says
‘He has plans to prosper and not to harm’ Emily. Well what about that?
Let’s look at her life for a minute. Is she prosperous? I’ll say! She has
everything any child could want in a material sense. But I don’t think this is
at all about material prosperity. God has provided her just the right family
and friends that will love and protect her. He has also prospered her in ways
many do not know. He has provided her with a genuine close relationship
with Himself. She worships Him around the clock and is full of joy and love
the likes of which I have rarely if ever seen. And oh, have those who know
her prospered. She has enriched every life that she has touched. We will
never begin to know the impact she has already had on numerous lives and I
believe there will be many, many more to come. I realized that what was
required of me at this point was to trust God like I never had before. Not
trusting that He will show his hand but that He will fulfill his plan.
We finished our burger, went back to the hospital and shortly thereafter took
Emily home. But this was not over. I felt like I had learned a real truth that
night. I have prayed for years, “Lord, heal her. Lord think of the testimony
we would have if you would just heal her. We would give you all the glory.
We would shout from the mountaintops the great deeds you have done!”
This night God revealed to me that I should be doing that anyway.
He is not
great and glorious because he heals. He’s great and glorious
because He is God Almighty, creator of the universe and everything
that is and He deeply, deeply loves each one of us. His glory shines
through Emily’s life every day and so often we don’t have our eyes open
to see it. As the week began, I began to wonder why this is. Why don’t we
see His glory in Emily’s life or in other aspects of our daily lives for that
matter? What are we looking for? On what do we focus? How often does
God show His glory in our lives and we miss it? In chapter 13 of Matthew,
Jesus shares the parable of the sower.Verse 22 says, “The one who received
the seed that fell among the thorns is the man that hears the Word, but the
worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”
Are we so distracted by the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth
that we routinely miss seeing the glory of God? When a child is not “normal”
are we so distracted by the abnormality that we miss the “image of God” in
which he or she was created? We need to change the way we look at life.
Romans 12:2 tells us “not to conform to the pattern of this world” but we
seem to view things the way we have been conditioned to see them. So, how
do you look at life in a totally different way than you have been conditioned?
You “renew your mind” as the next part of Romans 12:2 says by grasping the
truth of
Jeremiah 29:11 – God has a plan! He’s in control. He knows what
is going on and He has a plan for you that includes hope and a glorious future.
We’re going to live for eternity! Think about that for a minute. Try to grasp in your
mind how long eternity is. Now, understand that for 80 years or so you are
going to spend part of eternity here in this body. We have such a hard time
getting past our instinct to live in the moment. This life is just a mist. “Dust
in the wind” as Kansas sang (for all you rockers). God has a plan.
Emily had 2 more seizures that week, one on Thursday and one Friday. It
was a hard week and Friday was a particularly tough day, but somewhere
deep inside, I knew God’s plan was still at work. I just couldn’t understand
where this was all going. Emily had been doing so well and all of a sudden
she has 3 huge seizures in one week. I was frustrated and confused but still
hanging on to
Jeremiah 29:11. I was thinking to myself and even expressed
to my son, “OK God, you have a plan. Can you just let me in on what it is?”
Later that afternoon I was listening to the radio and I heard an interview with
the father of Cassie Bernall. Cassie was one of the students killed in the
Columbine High School shootings. Mr. Bernall was in town speaking at a
local church that night. The interviewer asked him how the tragic death of
his daughter had affected his ministry to people in the wake of the 9/11
terrorist attacks. He kind of chuckled as he replied that he had no ministry
prior to the death of his daughter.
Her death didn’t affect his ministry, it
created his ministry. That was exactly what I needed to hear that day. God
reminded me of what he had shown me a couple of days before. That I
should be telling of his goodness regardless of the circumstances in my life.
Emily is 16 now and is doing well. She still has seizures occasionally but not
as frequently. She has significant developmental delays which keep her on
about a 3 or 4 year old level. Every day is a challenge but
every day is a gift.
And she lives every day to the fullest! God is good!!
**********************************************************
Thank you Jeff, for allowing me to share these intimate parts of your journey!!
Remember...my motto is....
BUILDING UP HOMES
BUILDING UP BUSINESSES
BUILDING UP OTHERS
Friend me on my personal Facebook at http://on.fb.me/hrfmBD
Friend me on my Facebook Fan Page at http://bit.ly/gaw13a
