My Gethsemane Experience

OK, friends, this is the last installment of Kathy’s Weird and Wonderful Promises, at least until God fulfills another one! (Actually, he does that every day, but I mean another MIND-BLOWING one!)

-

This one is also scriptural, but in a more general way. It happened when Annette and I were in the Garden of Gethsemane in Israel last March, so this was before the two specific verses about the grandbabies (see below if you haven’t read parts 1 and 2). Because of this experience, the Garden was the high point of the trip for me, even better than getting baptized in the Jordan River, which was VERY cool, too!

To preface this, I sometimes know when the Holy Spirit is speaking to me because it surprises me! It comes as a foreign thought in my mind, something I never would have thought of in a million years! Yeah, it freaks me out, but in a good way!

So…our group was sitting quietly on some risers in the Garden, and here’s what I heard (not audibly, but shockingly clearly nonetheless):

YOU HAVE HAD 7 YEARS OF FAMINE, AND NOW YOU WILL HAVE 7 YEARS OF ABUNDANCE.

I knew that referred to the story in Genesis about Joseph in Egypt, except in reverse because God told him there would be 7 years of abundance, followed by 7 years of famine, so that he could store up food.

-

But how did it relate to ME? That was a no-brainer. I had been living in famine for 7 years and I knew it!

Madeline had been born 7 years earlier. I loved her with all my heart! She was SO cute and SUCH a delight to me! But to be honest, it was a very hard time, as well. Just keeping her alive from day to day was difficult, and for every happy event, there was a horrible incident that tore my heart out. It was 3 years of struggle in many ways, and then she died, and I entered into 4 years of deep grieving.

When I went to Israel, my healing had just begun—I had gotten a little glimpse of the joy and healing that the Edingtons were going to minister to me, which I probably needed in order to even believe the Word God gave me. But it had definitely been a 7-year period of difficult times, of joy turned to mourning again and again, then the finality of death--FAMINE.

In the Garden I felt in my spirit that God was telling me that finally the time of mourning was over, and now he was going to give me 7 years of emotional abundance—joy, love, fun! I cried so long and hard that finally a couple of elders (probably) from the
church we were with came over to see if I was ok! (I said I was GREAT!!)

I can’t explain the next part very well, but I started dropping in at Mark’s office, and somehow God started using him to facilitate God's healing love to my wounded and frozen heart.

-

He and Lisa let me start babysitting Samantha and Emily, and soon I loved those girls as much as I loved Madeline, but it was PURE FUN without the ominous shadow that was such a constant part of Madeline’s bittersweet little life.

-

I got to experience VeggieTales and Barney again, and learned about Polly Pockets and Cali Girls, and heard new Knock-Knock jokes! Sometimes I got to put them to bed and pray with them, and when they started telling me they loved me, WOW—life was good again! I was healed, I was ready--ready for even more happiness!

The only tiny shadow I experienced was knowing that those girls weren’t really my own grandkids, and that someday they would probably move away. The shadow was too small to overcome the sunshine they brought into my life, though, so I threw myself into loving them with all my heart. And I still do!

But when God said “abundance” he really meant it! Next thing I knew, I had those two girls, two adorable new step-grandsons, Jody and Shannon were having a baby, and Ginger even had one in the oven, too!

From zero to six! In fact, counting Madeline, who is dancing in heaven and will meet me at the gate when I get there, it's 7, the number of perfection!

Is that ABUNDANCE or WHAT?

All glory and honor to God, who does all things well...and abundantly!