By Gina Caswell Kelly
I should have been married 50 years this week. I should be looking forward to an anniversary party to celebrate all those years together. I should be enjoying retirement with my husband and maybe even traveling around. But I am not. Yes, my 50th anniversary would have been this week. But God had another plan.
When Mike Kelly died, we had just had our 25th anniversary. We celebrated with friends. In July, Mike was gone. My world had changed. It is hard for me to imagine that I have lived nearly as long without Mike as I did with him. It is hard for me to imagine everything the kids and I have done and accomplished since then. It is hard for me to think about how much he would have loved watching his grandsons grow up. It is hard to think about the influence he could have had on their lives. But life goes on.
Our plans are not God’s plans. We do well if we recognize that and walk willingly on His path. He had my days and Mike’s days laid out long before we were even born. He says, “Before you were born, I formed you. I knew you.” As I look back on the years that have gone by, I have certainly seen God’s goodness and His grace on all of us. I have seen Him take us from the darkest days to the days when we finally laughed again. He has carried us. He has offered us wisdom. He has even forgiven us when we have gotten off the path. We serve a good, good God.
I know where Mike is and I know I will see him again one day soon. It is getting closer everyday! I love that we have that hope in Christ. I love that we can know for sure where we are going and know for sure that our loved ones will be there to meet us. I love the verse in Psalms that says, “I will be complete when I awake in heaven and see Your face.”
Do you know this Savior in whom I have put my trust? You absolutely can know for sure where you will spend eternity if you put your trust in the One True God. If you accept His free gift of forgiveness and turn and follow His path instead of your own. But more than just knowing you will be with Him for eternity, you get to know Him daily. I don’t know how I would have remembered how to put one foot in front of the other if I had not had my Heavenly Father holding me and guiding me. He is with me even today. And He can be with you each day, through each trial, if you will place your trust in Him.
Put your trust in the One that knows where the path is going. The One who drew the map. The One who waits to hold you and bends down close to listen to your every prayer. Put your trust in the Savior. It will make a difference.
