2010...A Year of Healing

As most of you know, the Lord took our precious baby boy, Seth Taylor Shrewsberry, home to be with Him on November 21st. It was the hardest day of Matthew and my life to meet our baby boy and then to have to say good-bye to him. It's the first time in my life that I have experienced a broken heart. My heart goes out to those with broken hearts because it is absolutely the worst feeling in the world! It's an amazing thing to me how much love we have for Seth and how much we miss him even though we did not get the blessing and privelege of raising him and knowing him as we wanted to. I don't know how anyone could go through something like this without the Lord Jesus in their lives. He has been the One holding our hearts and slowly piecing them back together as He is healing them. He has been our strength everyday. He has revealed Himself to us in a way that, I believe, He only could by going through something like this. We have always heard that to go deeper with God you will need to go through deep things. I always wanted to go deeper with God, but was always afraid to go through the deep things to get there. As you go through deep things though, I now know that He carries you through the whole way. I know it may sound strange, but Matthew and I are so thankful to the Lord for having us go through the deep with Him because of what He has done in our hearts and lives through baby Seth. The Lord has really revealed Himself to us in ways we didn't know Him. The Lord has been encouraging us to really trust Him and to put our faith in Him and we believe the Lord has said to us ever since Seth past away, "you have not gone this way before." This is true, we have not gone this way, the way of heartache and grief, the way of sadness and mourning. This scripture is found in Joshua chapter 3, as the Lord was preparing the children of Israel to cross over the Jordan River into the promised land. It's interesting because that is where our Pastor shared out of yesterday in church. We know that the Lord is good and only has perfect plans for us. This was one of them. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 We have the blessed hope of being reunited with our baby boy one day in heaven. What a day that will be! Heaven is so much sweeter to us. Going through this has given us a deeper desire for Jesus and heaven!
So as we begin a new year, I don't know what the Lord has in store for us, but I do know that it is going to be a year of healing for us. We are taking it one day at a time, moment by moment needing His strength to get us through. We know He is faithful and "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6
We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for us through this difficult time in our lives. We have been lifted up by your prayers and are greatly encouraged knowing we are loved and being prayed for. We hope and pray everyone has a blessed new year and whatever you are going through that the Lord would be priority and would be glorified in your lives this year. I want to leave you with Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11...
"God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though it's waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with it's swelling. Selah
Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

God bless you! We love you!
Love,
Matthew & Megan