Standing on our front porch and waving goodbye is a family tradition. As each family unit pulls out the rest of us send them off with shouts of, “I love you, Come back soon, and whatever fun family quote may come to mind.” We watch until they top the hill and we can see them no more. Eventually, it dwindles to Bob and I standing alone on the porch, waving amid shouts of I love you and come back soon. Then we turn and enter a house emptied of their laughter and warmth.

If I am going to be able to walk back into such a house following the departure of all those people who inspired such joy and happiness for me, I must come to terms with the fact that I need help, God’s help. Sure I will be sad without them. That’s normal, even to be expected. But in time the sadness will fade and the memories of laughter and good times will replace it.

For over the years, with all the comings and goings of my children and their families, God has schooled me on how to handle this reoccurring activity. Sure, it was super difficult at first, but with each arrival and departure God taught me ways to make it more manageable.

I just had to learn how to sort through the thoughts that invaded my mind in the quiet after their departures. Thoughts of the sin nature, you know self-centered thoughts, would compete for my attention. Until finally, I learned God’s way of attacking those negative thoughts. God’s truths, when applied, lead to a healthy state of emotions like the following.

God reminds me that He is always with me. Knowing God is always with me and that He hears me, is amazingly reassuring.

God empowers me to recognize thoughts that are from Him and those that are from Satan. Then I can effectively recognize and embrace thoughts from God, and reject thoughts from Satan. Cuts down on the confusion.

Thoughts stemming from God will bring peace. Peaceful type thoughts will rule my thinking. That’s something the world cannot fathom.

Keeping my focus on God frees me from feeling sorry for myself. God’s way will produce positive solutions.

Therefore, as I turn and enter an all too quiet house, I will enter being reminded that God’s way of facing such moments is always the better way.