It is certain that if you are living today, that you have (and will continue to) face a variety of challenges in your life as you continue to mature and hold those you love (even closer to your heart).

James 1:2-4 (MSG) makes this spiritual power house of a statement that can occasionally be difficult to make a reality. ^“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”

I’m a big proponent of Christian artists (like Ryan Stevenson) that can simplify give a scriptural concept (like Hebrews 6:18-19) into the confines of a song (like Eye of the Storm). What do the lyrics convey to you, the reader, about weathering the storms of life?

Chorus
In the eye of the storm, You remain in control
In the middle of the war, You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me, in the eye of the storm

Verse One

When the solid ground is falling out, from underneath my feet,
between the black skies and my red eyes, I can barely see
and when I’m feeling like I’ve let down by my friends and my family, I can hear the rain reminding me

Chorus

Verse Two

When my hopes and dreams are far from me, and I’m running out of faith
I see the future I pictured slowly fade away
And when the tears of pain and heartache are pouring down my face
I find my peace in Jesus' name

Chorus

Verse Three

When the test comes in and the darkness says I’ve only got a few month left
Is like a bitter pill I’m swallow in, I can barely take a breathe
And when addiction steals my baby girl, and there’s nothing I can do
My only hope is to trust You, I trust you Lord

Chorus (four times)

Verse Four

The Lord is my Shepherd
I have all that I need
He lets me rest in green meadows
He leads me beside peaceful streams
He renews my strength
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His Name
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid
For You are close beside me

My entire family is trying to come to terms with a life storm we are all currently experiencing. The matriarch of our clan is my maternal one-hundred year-old grandmother, Erma Eagle. (She’s also been a powerful, consistent female influence throughout my life.)

Though my grandmother is one of the best conversationalists (and cooks) I’ve ever met, at her current age both her memory and health are waning. Plans will need to be made in the near future as to how to grant her wishes for her comfort and health (in her final years).

The Bible provides two very important mandates for the care of elderly parents with needs. Proverbs 23:22 (MSG) demands, “Listen with respect to the father who raised you, and when your mother grows old, don’t neglect her. I Timothy 5:8 (MSG) verifies, “Anyone who neglects to care for family members in need [invalidates] the faith. That’s worse than refusing to believe in the first place.”

I am certain of one thing. The Almighty has been with my grandmother throughout every facet of her amazing life. When she takes her last breath here on Earth, her loving Heavenly Father will tightly hold her trembling hand.

They will both enter the pearly gates into Heaven to be accosted by the myriad (of family and friends) that have been waiting to greet her for such a long time (in the way that humans try to measure time in a eternal, timeless location). In that crowd, there may be her eight miscarriage great grandchildren from Bobbi and me (that she’s never met nor have we).

Could I ask a favor from you? Would you pray for wisdom for three very important people in the decision-making process for Grandma Eagle’s life in her golden years?

These relatives would be my mother (Grandma’s daughter), Janice Zarbaugh, and my uncle and aunt (Grandma’s son and “daughter”), Larry and Phyllis Eagle. Lifting them up in prayer to the Heavenly Father would be greatly appreciated, and an encouragement to me (as your encourager).