An Amish Farmer's Sign and Hope

As I travel a familiar, local route, I pass a simple sign outside a farmer's field that reads, "O Lord, it is nothing with Thee to help."  The straightforward plea strikes me every time, and I find its words replaying in my head during the week  -- "O Lord, it is nothing with Thee to help."

But sometimes it seems He doesn't.

Sometimes the crops are dry and harvest is scanty.

Sometimes the disease wins and the child dies.

Sometimes the much-prayed-for loved one makes the wrong decision anyway and suffers the hard consequences.

Sometimes the broken relationship remains unrestored, and the resulting hurt doesn't fade over time.

What then?  What do we do when the heartache of life seems greater than its joys?  How do we makes sense of the promise of the Lord's help?

Maybe, just maybe His help looks different than our preconceived notions of "help."  Perhaps He helps not by taking away the pain, but by holding us through it -- the way I "help" my child when she is scared of the dark.  I don't make the darkness go away, but instead, I hold her in my arms until she is comforted.  When the noise of the vacuum causes her to run to my arms, I don't always turn it off, but hold her while I finish cleaning. She is calmed, comforted, and "helped" as a result feeling safe and secure in my arms, not necessarily from the cessation of what caused her fear.

So when I look for help, I can find it in God.  He IS my help.

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone.  My hope comes from Him."  (Ps. 62:5)

This Thing of Ours by C. Franzese

In a very honest, conversational tone, Cammy Franzese, wife of notorious mobster Michael Franzese, tells of her journey of faith throughout a marriage of upheaval.  All marriages have their challenges, but not many face the uncertainty of possible arrest, jail visits, and house raids by the FBI.  During the eight or more years that Cammy's husband was in jail, she raised their three children alone while supporting her husband emotionally through frequent visits and phone conversations as their only means of contact.  Admittedly naive, Cammy married Michael as a youthful, idealistic twenty-year-old having no idea of the type of man he was and the life he'd led.  The shock of his long prison terms and close scrutiny by law enforcement would have overwhelmed their marriage were it not for the steady faith and support of Cammy's mother and Cammy's own determination to honor God in her marriage.

Cammy's story speaks eloquently of the commitment to marriage that is lost in today's narcissistic society.  I was moved and inspired by her decision to stand by her man regardless of his past and way it affected their present.  Refreshingly, Cammy even owned up to her personal responsibility in making the choice to marry a man she knew little about.  Despite her lack of discernment, God honored her commitment and support of her husband, and eventually used Michael in a great way to advance His kingdom.  The Franzese's story is not picture-perfect; it is very human and real. But it is exactly this element of openness that will draw the reader to the pages of This Thing of Ours: How Faith Saved My Mafia Marriage.  I so enjoyed the complimentary copy of this book provided by BookSneeze®.