Julia’s Light
Lenora, let me tell you a story that happened after we talked today and how God moved in my life through a tragedy. TO catch the rest of the class up with Lenora and I...As most of you know, my office lost a dear sweet, beautiful friend this week named Julia Smith. She was funny, bright and loving. She was also very depressed, and that was from physical pain and ailments that plagued her due to a gastrointestinal disease. Julia was fighting to get better and fighting to make it back to her life and ours when she was taken from us, and the pain was just not bearable by those of us left behind.
I had not slept since Sunday night, the night before I found out she had passed away. This is where my dear sweet adopted mom, Lenora Plummer, stepped in to speak with me on Jesus and Julia’s behalf. She advised me I had to let it go. I fought back and told her all of my concerns and how it was so unfair. She asked, “Would your friend want you to be all tore up like this and not sleeping?” I thought about that and realized NO she would not. She would probably fuss at me and demand I take a rest day on Saturday. Julia loved NOTHING more than helping and taking care of her friends, family, and even strangers.
Then Lenora said this and Y'all it changes the direction of my day, possibly my life, “Then honor of her memory, please believe and dwell on the positive!! Believe that at this moment she is dancing with the angels, visiting relatives who have passed on, speaking with our King and patiently waiting for your arrival. Hold tightly onto that realization Tracee.”
You should also know during all this time God has been speaking to my heart to begin a ministry of my own. I am blessed to have so many contacts throughout the Country in the ministry and non-profits that almost a day does not go by where I don't refer one contact to another and vice a versus. My idea at first had been to just be more intentional with my conversations, keep cards and numbers with me at all times but then...my thoughts went into overdrive this afternoon as I was dozing off into the BEST nap of my life. What if I create a database and website to make that knowledge more widely available. What if, I dove into this, put energy behind it and created something that would help many more than I can talk to in a day.
During that nap, I dreamed a vivid dream of me sitting at a desk with the logo “Julia’s Light” and a database just like I had been thinking of before I fell asleep. I woke with a weight lifted off my shoulders and Jesus giving me that nudge, “See, now isn't that better now that you have turned it over to Me? I can make light out of the darkness just by speaking.” There would be NO better way to HONOR Julia than to help other people, ministries, and nonprofits connect and make a tight knit community of worker bees for Jesus.
Thank you, Julia, for all the times you came to the office to help me get caught up, and you were feeling sick, thank you for all the smile and even for the tears. Thank you, Lenora, for always knowing when you need to “jerk a knot in my tail and put an end to pity parties” and loving me like I am family. Thank you, JESUS for always being there and holding me even when I am too lost to the pain you are trying to take from me that I just won't let go of - Thank you for never letting GO!
