What Now?

Yesterday I read: Sharon Grenham-Thompson, also known as ‘Glam Vicar’, lost her teenage son Leo to suicide last year.

Telling her devastating story, her grief, anger, the challenges to her faith, she concludes:

I don’t have any of the answers I want – mostly to the question ‘Why?’ Not from Leo, not from life, not from God. I probably never will. But I’m beginning to find a way to live with that, and to ask a different question, which is ‘What now?’

My friend Chris’s son Jacob’s marriage has been going through difficulties. Yesterday Chris wrote:

‘Jacob and (his wife) are separating and filling for divorce. House has been sold got a very good price… Currently they are being amicable towards each other… I’m sure God would not want them to stay in a marriage where they are destroying each other and both been so unhappy.’

Jacob’s faced his ‘What Now?’, making a difficult decision.

I’ve just read about Elijah and Elisha. Elijah single-handedly opposes the king, risking his reputation and life; he goes through a mental and spiritual crisis; he invites Elisha to leave his family job on a farm to be his prophet-apprentice.

Elisha faced with his ‘What Now?’, chooses to burn his plough and his oxen – so he can’t return to his farming; he becomes a prophet with Elijah.

I mentioned yesterday – Becca and Josh’s ‘What Now?’ – getting married in September. Yesterday Becca wrote:

‘I can’t even believe I’m writing this but we got accepted for that house today! Josh called me when I was out and I was actually speechless because we had kind of given up hope with buying a house and were looking at renting.’

She mentions particular prayers of hers that have been answered…’We’re really happy!’

‘What Now’? For Sharon it’s asking the difficult question; for Jacob it’s a tough decision – divorce; for Elisha it’s burning his plough; for Josh and Becca it’s house purchase, marriage… an exciting future…

Musing… ‘What Now’?… for me?