A Time to Weep and a Time to Laugh

Emotional strength.....  In Ecclesiastes 3:4, Solomon reminds us there is, "a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance."  I think I could write at length about all of the emotions I've experienced in life.  At this time of year though, I am reminded of my daughter Lily.  God has actually given me two distinct times per year to remember her (of course, I think about her at other times, but these two are poignant).  The first is centered around her passing half-way through my pregnancy.  The second, this time of year, is centered around her actual due date.  You see, God, in His infinite wisdom, had set Lily's due date as August 26th.  To most that wouldn't mean much, but to me it means the world.  That date just so happens to be the birthday of my youngest daughter.  Oddly enough, about a year after her passing, I couldn't remember what her actual due date was!  I knew it was attached to a date I already held dear, but the stress of the previous year had taken it's toll.  After a few moments, it came back to me and I am so glad God set a date that I could never truly forget.
The wonderful thing about being a Christ follower is that I absolutely believe, with all of my heart, that Lily is at this very moment in heaven; dancing with angels, worshiping our Lord and probably hanging out with her dad!  Sure, sometimes I want to be jealous that he got to see her first, but that doesn't last long!  I know that God is not through with me here!  So, while March may be a time of sadness thinking about the loss of Lily, August is a time of rejoicing that she is in a much better place!  She is completely healed and one day we will be reunited! 
Through the years, the balance of emotions changes.  In 2008, I definitely wept more than I laughed over the things that were going on in my world.  Every year I have laughed a little more and wept a little less so that now I can say I laugh more than I weep.  None of this would have been possible without God healing me.  It's a funny thing about emotional healing... you have to want it and you have to allow God to work in you.  Read Psalm 34 today and be emotionally encouraged! http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2034&version=NIV