Beth Moore says that an unchallenged faith is a stifled faith. Believing that to be true, I'd have to say that this family's faith has been anything BUT stifled in this past year.
Five months ago today, Aaron left this earth. 5:09 pm marked the moment he drew his last breath. I believe, by faith, that before that chopper crashed to the ground, Aaron's eyes saw the Lord, high and lifted up, His train filling the temple! I believe, by faith, as God reached down, scooped him up & cradled him in His arms, He whispered those words Aaron had waited 30 years to hear; "Well done my good and faithful servant; you have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you have kept the faith!" If we could have been privileged enough to have just a tiny glimpse of that glorious event, surely we would never have shed a tear for our loss..... only rejoiced in heaven's gain - in Aaron's gain. Aaron had arrived... by faith! I know the angels celebrated. But I also know that as we, his "left behind," have begun the process of accepting the unbearable truth that Aaron will never have a presence in our life here on earth again; we have been called to the challenge of "faith" like never before.
Heb. 11:1 - "Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
By faith... Noah built the ark even though rain had never fallen from the sky before.
By faith... Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, heading to a "promised land" they had never seen.
By faith... Abraham offered Isaac, his only son, as a sacrifice, even though God had promised to make his offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky. How could this make any sense, except...by faith?
By faith... the mouths of lions were shut, the flames were quenched, the dead were raised, the sick were healed, and the lost are saved......
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Faith says that even though I've been stricken with a loss greater than I can bear, You, Lord God, are working all things together for my good!
Faith says that in my weakness, You, The Almighty One, take Your glorious role as My Strength!
Faith believes, even in the throws of sorrow and fear, that God's perfect plan IS being orchestrated!
Faith refuses to be offended by God should He cut a path for us that we prayed we'd never have to walk!
Faith creates hope, and without it, we are "hopeless"...... God forbid.
And last.... Faith testifies that one day we WILL be reunited with all those that have gone before us and only then will our faith become sight. God haste the day!
Until then? We will live and we will walk... by faith.
Dear Vaughn family, you don't know me or my family but we've been incredibly moved by the Aug 6th event that has forever changed your lives and the lives of the others lost. We've been blessed to learn more about Aaron's life thru the FB tribute page. The post above is so moving that I wanted to ensure I commented.
ReplyDeleteYour family continues to be in my prayers. We plan to visit Arlington this summer (we live in MD and my husband has a classmate buried there, who passed away from a non combat related injury). When we're there, we plan to also visit Aaron and his teammates. Thank you for sharing his story and legacy with the world.
Thinking of you,
Keri
Thank you so much Keri for reaching out. It's such a blessing especially to know that people continue to visit Aaron's place of rest. He was truly an amazing man, as were his teammates. May God bless you and your entire family.
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