It's. Just. Saturday.

This past Saturday ......  the Saturday that fell between Good Friday and Easter, we received a really sweet gift.  It was a meeting, and I would say it was a divine meeting.

We were at Roe Park for Maci's soccer game, and I saw Dave talking to a man.  This was the third man Dave had talked to since we arrived 5 minutes prior.  (if you know Dave, you know this is very normal ..... for him to know everyone everywhere we go!)  But this third person I didn't know (which actually doesn't surprise me either, as it's very normal for my husband to talk to people he doesn't know too).  :)   By the way, I LOVE this about him.  Anyway, I walked over and Dave introduced me to Joe White.  I had heard his name before, as the founder of Kanakuk Camps, so I realized quickly this was THAT Joe White.  Dave had been talking with him for a few minutes, and had already told him about Kate.  Joe had sunglasses on, so I could not even see his eyes, but the compassion that was pouring out of this man was tangible.  I could just feel it as he asked me the question, "how are you doing darling, with the death of your baby daughter"?  He continued to ask us questions and share stories.   He grabbed my head at one point and just rubbed it saying, "you are a courageous princess, you are".   Yes, you can imagine that I was barely holding it together in the middle of the soccer field where the girls were warming up.  He grabbed Dave and I shortly after, and prayed a beautiful prayer over us.  He walked away, then turned around to remind me of my courage and to say, "I love you".   My. Heart.   

I believe meeting him was a God thing for many reasons, but there was one particular idea he shared that I cannot let go of.  He gave this analogy between the season we are in and Easter weekend.   He shared about his leukemia diagnosis and how during that time in his life ..... it was FRIDAY.  As in, Good Friday.  As in suffering and not understanding; maybe even feeling forsaken.  And after Friday, then came ....... SATURDAY.  And it was just Saturday for a while.  For a long while it was Saturday.    Not Friday anymore, but not yet Sunday. Joe says he has his Sunday now.  You could see it in him.  His Sunday has come. 
BUT. WE. DON'T.  We don't have our Sunday yet.  In many areas of our life we are caught in this in between.  We are not experiencing Friday ..... threatening us to despair, or to crumble in agony and fear, but we are also not able to see Sunday yet.  To see clearly His holy purposes in the suffering that we are enduring.  So we sit.  In Saturday, we wait.  We trust.  We hurt.  We ask.  We seek.  We receive - just enough for today.  On Saturday, we HOPE.  We hope that much is happening even when we can't see it.  We hope in the unseen realities that are coming our way.  The goodness and life......the resurrection.  We don't know the path, or any more twists and turns ahead,  but we believe Sunday is on it's way.   Because the perfectly righteous Jesus suffered an agonizing Friday out of his love for us and was resurrected, we too know our Sunday is coming.  When our life is in His and His in ours, we have this astounding promise to hold on to.   As much as it hurts, I understand in a new way that suffering and dying to myself IS the pathway to life.  I know that sharing in the sufferings of Christ is actually a privilege, not a curse.  I know Him more and love him more every day.  It still stinks to be in the valley of the shadow of death and in the wilderness of Saturday, but I AM NOT ALONE.  My Jesus suffered this and so much more.  He was even forsaken.  I am not.  God will never leave me or forsake me.  He will not fail me on Saturday; instead He will preserve me and continue to establish me in his righteousness.  He shares in these sufferings and weeps with me.   And because of that truth, I also know that I will share in His glory.  Thank you Jesus! 

So for now, we hang on with every ounce in us, to stay here, in Saturday.  And as we do, we also eagerly await and HOPE for our Sunday. And we thank God for the sweet gifts He is giving us in the meantime, like our time with Joe on Saturday.  Not forgotten .... even on Saturday we are not forgotten. 


"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." - Deuteronomy 31:6

"Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." - romans 8:17

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." - 1 Peter 5:10