Choosing to SEE - Mary Beth Chapman [92]
May 24, 2009
Tonight was the graduation ceremony at Christ Presbyterian Academy, exactly one year to the day that we stood on that very platform to say goodbye to our little girl, Maria Sue.
God is either a truth or a lie. Everything He has said and promised is either 100 percent true, or it is lie after lie after lie. Today, along with many days this year, Satan was crushed, and what the Enemy intended for evil . . . God intended for good, and great it was!
Every senior has a blessing written for them and a Scripture verse read over them as they graduate from CPA. The seniors, once again in honor of Maria and our family and the fact that it was the anniversary of the funeral, walked barefooted, symbolizing they were on holy ground!
The speakers both touched on the fact that the graduates of 2009 have grown deeply rooted in their faith because tragedy not only struck once, but three times this year. In May, it was our sweet Maria. In October, a teacher at our school suddenly passed away, leaving a senior daughter to wade the waters of grief. And then in March of 2009, a CPA student took his own life, which rocked the entire community.
This class has been through a lot and they have come through stronger than most, because I believe God has a great plan for the students of the class of 2009.
A day of mourning . . . ashes . . . one year later a place of beauty. The pain is still there . . . most of the time as sharp as ever . . . God allowing the chisel and hammer to do His beautiful work in and amongst our friends and family. Maria’s death has taken a toll on a lot of us, not just our family. Those closest to us are mourning and grieving her just as deeply as we are, and the toll it has taken on them is as great as ours.
It is just not as fun without Maria. She was the funniest, most stubborn hoot of a little girl ever. We will always be different because we knew her . . . we will always be different because we lost her.
Could it be that this little girl was simply given to us for a short time so that she would ask Jesus into her heart, and then as simple as that was, leave just two months later to go be with Him?
Hard to fathom, but completely something only God could orchestrate! Lord, I trust you . . . help my unbelief. That is where I am, slowly, slowly wallowing through this complex journey God has set before us Chapmans, who long to show a suffering world that there is hope . . . but only through Him.
Blessing and Scripture for Will Chapman
on the occasion of his high school graduation
Will Franklin Chapman – Courageous, “appointed one,” gifted, authentic, and tender; one who has walked with vulnerability and grace through the most trying of times; Will knows what is important and what he values; resourceful, resilient, more than a survivor; a persistent warrior who knows which battles to fight; great sense of humor; excellent musician and great team player; he has walked out the gospel before us; given the gift of faith to carry him through, he is and will be an overcomer and a conqueror . . . steadfast in spirit; he has a radiance and transparency that draw us to Christ.
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25–26 NIV).
37
New Songs
God is always working to make His children aware of a dream that remains alive beneath the rubble of every shattered dream, a new dream that when realized will release a new song, sung with tears, till God wipes them away and we sing with nothing but joy in our hearts.
Larry Crabb
June 7, 2009
I believe God led me to Psalm 40:1–3 today. I’m going to write it out in the present tense; how I SEE the process of losing Maria is working itself out in the Chapman family:
I wait patiently for