Storyline Summer 2018

Judy and I had a mutual prayer time, devotions, and we always
attended church together. That was our shared spirituality.
But we both maintained a separate relationship with God. My
own prayer life and walk with God has continued on. In that
sense, nothing has changed. It’s just missing this other part that
Judy and I shared, but it continues on. More than anything, I
understand that God has compassion; He suffers along with
me. Probably more than we know. When I was young, I tended
to think that life went on forever. But now as I get older, I have
a greater anticipation for the Second Coming. The promise of
a reunion and seeing the face of Jesus is getting sweeter and
sweeter.
Your reaction to remain so close to God could be
different from someone who wants to be angry at God
and draw away from Him.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being angry at God.
God is God. He can handle it. Scripture is full of people angry
at God. But that desire has never been there for me, to be
angry. Many times, I’ve wished that this hadn’t been a part of
my journey. In my understanding, He uses it for our healing
process. I understand those who have the reaction of anger to
grief.
What advice would you give about finding comfort in God?
I don’t process this in a vacuum. I process this grief with
prayer and Bible reading. I’m also processing this with people.
You have to surround yourself with people. Even today,
eight months after Judy’s passing, I’m humbled, amazed,
and surprised by people coming up to me saying that they’re
praying for me. My nephew, who teaches at an elementary
school, told me that his Grade Six class prayed for me this
week. I have people praying for me on a regular basis. Judy
had a special relationship with so many people, and I’m the
beneficiary of that. I would advise people to get support
because that’s helped me immensely. •
Watch Jake’s story: faccalgary.com/watch/stories