Dear Friends and Family,

We have been asked if our family is ever posting anymore, when we do, we now post at https://www.afterandbeforeblog.com. Below is our most recent post. You can find this and other posts from this fall on our new family page. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers! 

Blessings,

The Jansen’s

Empty Chairs

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 AMP

16 Rejoice always and delight in your faith; 17 be unceasing and persistent in prayer; 18 in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

To be honest, these words from Ephesians 5 are slightly confusing on a normal day let alone when we are walking in seasons of loss, grief, betrayal, disappointment, or unexpected change…to name a few. Yet here we are, it’s Thanksgiving, the season of sharing what we are thankful for as we go around the circle at the table. This year, what is staring us in the face is Dad’s empty chair at the table. 

When I see that empty chair and feel my heavy heart, my mind travels to another table. The table in Psalm 23. 

Psalm 23

 1The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me]
I shall not want.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
3He refreshes and restores my soul (life);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

When I think of Psalm 23 I think of a passage that we turn to during difficult circumstances or one that is read at a service after someone has moved into Heaven. In this last year a Pastor shared with us something to add to our “wonderings” list, might Psalm 23 be the picture of our lives from the time they begin? As humans from the moment we are conceived we begin life and at the same time the journey towards death and eternity – either eternal life or eternal death. Could Psalm 23 be the picture of us walking in “the valley of the shadow of death” (verse 4) from the moment we were created? We take a breath and begin that walk with our Shepherd through our earthly journeys, moving towards death, and into eternity. Psalm 23 could be a beautiful picture of The Shepherd walking with us through all things on earth and leading us into eternity where we move to that next table.

The Pastor then shared with us about verse 5, “You prepare a table before me.” Could this table be the table talked about in Revelation where those who receive Christ’s invitation will join in the wedding feast of The Lamb? At this celebration table “the valley of the shadow of death” will be over, our cups will overflow (verse 5), and we will “dwell forever in the house and presence of the Lord” (verse 6). When the Lord says it is time, we will celebrate at a banquet, the wedding feast of The Lamb! We will sit at a table with Jesus! Our joy will be made complete in Him. I can now see Psalm 23 as the story of our journey with The Good Shepherd walking with us from the moment we were created, through death, and into eternity with Him for the ultimate Thanksgiving feast! The banquet that Revelation talks about. 

Revelation 19:6-9

6 Then I heard something like the shout of a vast multitude, and like the boom of many pounding waves, and like the roar of mighty peals of thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all] reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and shout for joy! Let us give Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb has come [at last] and His bride (the redeemed) has prepared herself.” 8 She has been permitted to dress in fine linen, dazzling white and clean—for the fine linen signifies the righteous acts of the saints [the ethical conduct, personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character of believers].

9 Then the angel said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he said to me [further], “These are the true and exact words of God.” 

This is the next table we will get to be at with Dad! The table you will get to be at with your believing loved ones who have moved into Heaven! And more importantly, the table at which we will get to see and celebrate with Jesus! Can you even imagine?! I am in awe of this picture. This brings gratitude to my heart. Dad and many of your loved ones are already there with Jesus waiting for us to join them. My gratitude continues to grow.

Friends, this is our time to prepare for the biggest thanksgiving feast of our lives…our eternal lives! “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (verse 9). You, me, everyone is invited to this marriage supper! It’s our turn to respond to the invitation, to have our names added to the guest list, to claim our open seat at the table. Now is our chance to receive the incredible gift of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. Now is our time to respond to His gift with our lives here on this earthly journey towards eternity. We have the opportunity to study God’s words, to spend time with Him, to share His invitation with others, to prepare our spirits for eternity with Him. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day of this earthly world, we all do it, regularly. Jesus reminds us in Colossians that during our time on these earthly journeys to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

Colossians 3: 1 -5, 15-17

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Perspective. It is all around us when we take the time to stop and see, to listen, to ask questions, and to be available. The other day I was checking out at the grocery store talking with the clerk. She made a comment about my boxes of waffles and I told her my kids go through them like crazy. She told me with a laugh that her grandson keeps stealing her waffles. I smiled and commented that kids are such a blessing. She said something to the effect of “More than you will ever know.” I don’t even remember what happened next but somehow, she told me that her adult daughter had died. I offered my condolences and mentioned how hard that must be and how difficult it must be with the holidays coming. We continued talking and mentioned the empty chairs at the holiday table. I shared that this was my family’s first holiday without my Dad. She asked about him. When I said he was 61, she gasped at his young age and asked what he passed away from. I told her brain cancer and we kept talking. I shared that it is difficult but that our family believes that this is not it, that we will see each other again someday in eternity. She stopped bagging groceries, looked me square in the eye and said, “Oh, I believe in Jesus Christ too. I don’t know how I would get through this without Him.” We shared about our common beliefs and our hope. In the end she told me that her adult daughter died unexpectedly and tragically and her husband has also died. With tears in her eyes, we talked about the hope we have that helps us walk with this incredible pain and loss. I looked back into her tear-filled eyes as she bagged groceries and said, “I will pray for you right now as I walk to my car.” Barely able to speak she thanked me and continued bagging the next lady’s groceries with tears running down her face. How she gets up and faces another day with a daughter’s life taken by the evil of this world, a husband gone, and a grandson to raise – must only be by the grace of God and with a mind set on things above, not on earthly things. Perspective -in Jesus Christ. 

We have our Thanksgiving tables, the Psalm 23 table, and the Revelation’s table, now back to our tables this Thanksgiving. The ones that many of us will have empty chairs at this holiday season from loss that comes in a variety of ways. So now what? Friends, when we look at those empty chairs at the Thanksgiving table this year, whether it’s the first year of a loss or change, or the 30th year, those empty chairs cause pain and heartache. This is real, let’s acknowledge that. If our empty chair is from a loved one that has moved into Heaven, let’s talk about them and give thanks for them and the impact they had and continue to have on our lives. For those in our lives who have empty chairs because of other life circumstances, let’s allow them the opportunity and safe space to lament and grieve these changes as well. No matter the circumstances surrounding this year’s empty chair, let’s also take the time to look back and see how The Good Shepherd has walked with us through these painful journeys. Let’s take time to thank Him as He still stands beside us today as we experience the pain of that empty chair. Grief and gratitude, I don’t know about you, but I feel them both this year.  

As we experience this around our tables, likely with tears pouring onto our plates, let’s also remember the empty chairs waiting at The Banquet Table in eternity. The ones waiting for each of us who are yet in our preparation time here on earth. The ones that are available for those we know and love who have not yet responded to Jesus’ invitation. The ones that are already claimed by our loved ones who are there waiting for us with Jesus. Let’s take this time we have here on earth seriously and accept the invitation to prepare ourselves for THE big feast in eternity and to share this invitation with others! Let’s continue on in this earthly pilgrimage with a mission to fill those empty chairs for the ultimate Thanksgiving feast! 

Keeping on with eyes up,

SJN