This week’s guest post comes to us from

Diane Reeves

The fall season is upon us which usually brings great memories of the aroma of apple pies, pumpkin pies and all kinds of baked goods filling the house. My Mom made the best apple pies and I haven’t been able to duplicate that since she passed away. I sure do miss her! 

When she passed away, at her viewing I was able to share about her apple pies. She loved to bake as she so much enjoyed seeing people happy and would do her best to brighten up your day in any way she could. 

God has handpicked the table that He wanted us to be set upon: He has ordained the families we were born into, the conditions of our upbringing, the joyous times and the times of our deepest sorrows. These are all ingredients that the Lord stirs into our lives to help balance out the table. For of course a sweet, scrumptious apple pie is not the only thing that can be served at the Thanksgiving table.

Philippians 3:10

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made comformable to his death.

Even though growing up I didn’t like too many veggies, my parents served them and often made us sit and eat the vegetables before we could leave the table. My sister, Cindy, of course was the most stubborn of all of us (she still doesn’t like veggies). They served them because we needed a balanced diet so our bodies could absorb the most nutrients in order to grow properly.  

Sometimes life is difficult and the pain is deep. Most of us would agree together that we want to become more like Jesus. However, what we may fail to realize (or perhaps may want to deny) is that on this journey we will have trials and suffering.  

I watched my Mom suffer for over half of my life. It was very difficult to see her in pain, stared at due to uncontrollable tremors, misdiagnosed, struggling to breathe, lost lots of weight (I think went down to 70 pounds), depressed, anxious, and eventually put on a ventilator and feeding tube for almost one year. It caused me to question God, be angry with Him, but also cry out to Him and get to know Him better. 

In all the suffering I saw and the anguish of my soul I still see the hand of God’s mercy that was upon my Mom and still is upon our family. I saw His hand upon my Mom each time she would smile and say a kind word, even to those who would stare at her. I saw His love in her eyes when I went away to teach in Puerto Rico and she had written on my cake “Go with God.” I saw His strength each time she would roll out the homemade pie dough with her arthritic wrists; I saw the love in her eyes when I told her that it was ok for her to leave and “Go with God.”  

Many of God’s greatest opportunities for growth and intimate fellowship with Him are birthed in seasons of sorrow. Not that we go around praying or looking for trouble, but we can trust that when God allows that season to come to pass, He will give us the grace and strength we need to persevere under pressure. We can trust that He will transform our hearts of stone into His heart of compassion. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

New International Version
Praise to the God of All Comfort

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (A) the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us (B) in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

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