Thursday, July 17, 2008

From Karen ...

Uncle JJ exploring with Aiden

The following was written by Karen in the comment section but I thought it's better to put this up for our faithful blog friends and prayer warriors to easily see:

Dear Blog Friends...

We want to thank people for their comments the past couple of days. We welcome them and they don't offend us. These are the thoughts of honest Christians struggling with how to respond to the problem of human suffering.

We are new creatures in Christ headed for an unseen but glorious heavenly home. This world is broken and temporary, but it's what God has given us for now. It is filled with people we cherish and precious times with them. It's the first chapter of a story that will continue into eternity.

The loss of our son changes the way the story plays out for all of us who were close to him. In our limited perspective of life, we would wish him here to share the journey of life with us, and to watch his own story unfold. He was a beautiful young man with great gifts and a wonderful ability to give to others. It is impossible to not miss someone who filled your life with love, laughter, joy and hope, even though you know they are in Heaven.

Joey's death is a challenge to us on many levels. We deal with the shock of his unexpected death, just trying to understand how and why that happened. Could we have prevented it? We deal with an empty space in our lives filled by him for 28 years. How does life go on now without him? How will our family change without him?

We wonder how he is feeling right now. He shared all his other experiences with us, he can't share this one. There is a wall between us. He was with us and now he is with God...what's happening to him? We can't be part of that, we can't witness it, we trust God with that. We are forced to let go of our plans and dreams and accept that there will be a different story than the one we had envisioned. We have to say "not my will but Thine be done". We see many years ahead for us without him...that is truly the hardest part.

When something like Joey's death happens, it challenges our belief system in a healthy way. It forces us to ask if we truly trust God, or if we just say we trust God. As we apply God's word to these new circumstances, we find new hope and encouragement. It is a process that uses our mind and our emotions. It takes time because it is a growth process. Thanks for loving us and walking with us in that process. You have been God's comfort to us and we feel His love in your love.

Karen

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To those of you who would like to learn more about how to minister to a greiving friend, please CLICK HERE and visit her blog with a section on How To Help A Grieving Friend. It expresses a lot of what Joe and Karen are feeling right now. Thank you for your continued support, love and encouragement.

7 comments:

anjuli paschall said...

thank you again for allowing me to journey with you. My only nephew (6mths old) is having open heart surgery in one week. One vision keeps running thru my mind as next week approaches quickly. It is of Joey's service in LA and the time of worship. Those two songs run constantly in my mind. Those memories help me lay my nephew at the cross and at the feet of Jesus. My prayers are continually with you all. love, anjuli

Anonymous said...

Thank you Karen for sharing today. I just wish there was a way for us to fill the HUGE VOID in your lives. I know GOD can. It is so easy for me to bring my memories of the loss of Randy to my mind as I share in your grief. As I walked the beach I prayed for your family!

Love, Kim

Anonymous said...

These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he makes a promise, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. These things encourage us who came to God for safety. They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong. Hebrews 6:18-19

May you be encouraged by God's promises this morning.

Love - Viv

Karen said...

Thank you Anjuli, we pray for your nephew. Lord be with him and heal him for the sake of his family and for your glory.

Thank you Kim, Viv and Liza...You comfort our hearts. Liza, your blog link is excellent. Viv, keep those verses coming. We're praying for you too right now. Kim, you've walked our road. We love you all.

michaelandciara said...

Dear Joe and Karen,

The more we read your blog, about your amazing son, about what amazing parents you are, about your faith in the Lord in such a time, we are inspired to be better parents, children and mentors! Thank you for your examples to us.

We haven't walked your road, but we are praying for your comfort and peace everyday!

All our love and prayers,
ciara, michael and mikaela

Anonymous said...

Hi Karen and Joe,
Thanks for your blog. It was really touching. We are constantly thinking about you guys and praying for you as well. It's not the same without the Borland/Johnson clan in Maui.
Still struggling to accept the reality that Joey's actually gone. It's easy to get caught up in the day to day, but when you stop for a second is when the reality hits. I know the healing process is a journey. I hope that you guys are having a good time being with each other and having family time. I just wanted to let you guys know that even though your gone from Maui, your not gone from our hearts.
Love you guys,
Kristen

lorensaved77 said...

Hi Karen and Joe
I feel so out of touch...We just got back from the Mainland after two weeks and did not have adequate access to "computer time"

I have really missed keeping in touch with your journey.But I want to let you Know I have Not stopped praying for you and your family.
I'm glad you are spending some time with your family on the Mainland. Can not wait to connect again when you return to Maui...
Miss you,
Love,Blessings and Aloha
Nancy and Loren Family