Faith Proved Genuine

³ "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. " 1 Peter 1:3-8

This is probably one of my hardest blogs to write to date.

I was awakened Saturday morning to a text letting me know that Steve Hammond had passed away. My heart could not have been heavier as I tried to let the reality sink in. I had officially only met Steve once, but have felt like I have known him all my life. You see, Abbey is his daughter and she is a very, very, dear friend to me. And while Abbey and I have only been friends for a little under a year, it seems like we have known each other our whole lives. You know/have/can relate to have those kinds of friends in your life, right? Then you know what a jewel to have those kind of people in your life.

When Steve found out that the cancer had come back and had gone into the bones in September, I was there the night Abbey found out the news after a conference call with her family. I remember crying on the bed with other dear friends around, pleading with God for His mercy and healing. I recruited my prayer warriors back home to have them start praying for Abbey and her family by name. SO thankful I have friends who will not hesitate to pray for others, even though they haven't met the people for whom they are praying for. Man, oh man, I am so thankful for them- that because it was important to me, it was important to them.

At the beginning of the year, I made a resolution to pray for Steve and the rest of the Hammond Family (aka Ham Fam) every day at 1:30. I had been praying for them regularly, but I wanted to be all the more intentional about my time and whoever I was with, I would just ask them to join me in prayer. And you know how when you are praying for them consistently you feel a special connection, even though you might not have even met them? That's how I felt about the Ham Fam. Besides Abbey, I had only met her precious parents and Steve coined me the name "Suzannasburger" (bc I live in Johannesburg). Abbey was fantastic about giving updates regularly and praying all the more boldy for His healing.

At the beginning of this month, Steve took a turn for the worse. I was praying non-stop. I really have learned what it means to be praying without ceasing. Abbey, by His great mercies, was able to get back before he was gone. It happened so fast in those couple of weeks.

So when I found out Steve was gone, I was devastated- for Abbey and the rest of her precious family. I rejoiced because Steve was no longer in pain, and he is where we all long to be- at the feet of the Savior, beholding His face. I was sad beyond words because I knew it wouldn't be possible to go back to the States for the funeral. And once again, I have always been told that you can always miss a wedding, but never miss a funeral.

Here is what has blown me away as I have had a front row seat to see how Abbey and her family, and even Steve have responded during these agonizing months: even through it all, to have an unwavering devotion to the One whom they have dedicated their very lives to.

Who writes these things on their(Abbey and her siblings and her mom) facebook wall shortly after seeing their father pass away?

"God is good. All the time."

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." Thanks so much for walking through this with my family in the past months. Love you all."

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4
ESV

"I am thanking God for the peace I have today... Not a lack of sadness, but peace beyond understanding."

Who is able to write such things in the midst of such sadness of losing a husband, a daddy, a hero?!?

Answer: People who have had their faith proved genuine. They believe God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. And because of that knowledge, they are believing God for the strength and endurance that it takes to endure these intense trials.

may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." Through their suffering, they have a blinking neon sign that says:

"Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil 3:20)

I have and continue to be in awe of the Hammond Family. At the end of the day and when these type of trials come it is my hope that I will be able to display Christ's worth like they have as they cling and savor Christ together and be able to say wholeheartedly "O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (Psalm 34:8)