As God would have it, this is the last written blog post by our dear friend, Edurne Mencia. Edurne unexpectedly passed away earlier this month on August 1st. While we rejoice that she is now at home with Jesus, we as a community have been grieving the loss of our dear friend this past month. Edurne leaves behind 3 young children, a loving husband, and numerous friends from around the world. I find it fitting that on a study focused on the importance of our words, we finish with Edurne’s last written words.
I pray her words will be a reminder to the importance of the words we speak, write and leave behind…they all matter!
_____________________________________________________
Thank you.
That´s a simple expression. But for many people, it´s a very difficult one to articulate.
When we say thank you, we recognize that moment when we needed someone else. Maybe we needed something small, like a spoon for the ice cream, or something bigger, like a hug in the waiting room before hearing the news your doctor had for you.
We don´t like to need others. We would rather live an independent life as modern, empowered women. However, God has called us over and over again to live in community, to be aware of the lives of other people, and allow them to be involved in our lives.
Thank you can also be hard to say when we don´t like what we receive.
Do you remember those ugly sweaters you got from your aunt every single Christmas? You opened the box with expectation and your smile slowly faded when you saw the sweater. And then, you forced a “thank you” between your teeth.
We do the same with God.
When He answers our prayers exactly how and when we expected Him to do it, when He provides for us beyond our expectations, when He heals, or when He intervenes in a desperate situation our mouths fill with gratitude and praise.
But what about those things you´ve been praying about for years? Those answers He has not given you? Those plans that have drastically changed in your life? Do our mouths speak gratitude when our world collapses? Do we bless the Lord and rejoice in Him?
Until we understand that gratitude is not the result of things or events, but a certainty instilled in our hearts because of the work God has already done for us, we will be condemned to a life of ungratefulness and discontentment.
Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
When we are daughters of the Almighty, this must be the attitude of our hearts:
- I bless You, Lord.
- I praise Your name forever and ever, Lord.
- You are Great, Lord.
- I thank You, Lord.
Regardless of the circumstances and events in our lives, our mouths must be filled with praise and gratitude. Does it mean we can´t complain or break or be sad? Not at all, friend. Many of my grateful moments have been like this:
- …God. I don´t understand why You´re doing this. But I trust You have a reason. I thank You because You have a plan.
- …Oh Lord, You haven´t answered me. Please, help me bless Your name. Give me the strength to praise You in the middle of my storm.
- …Father, I can´t take this anymore. Thank You for being with me.
Being a Christian doesn´t make us a robot. We cry, we complain, we feel desperate. When things don´t come out the way we expected, or when sadness and fear knock on our door and loneliness is our companion, gratitude and praise vanish from our mouths.
But I hope that, after these four weeks studying verse after verse what the Bible says about the tongue and the ways we are called to use it, we will live out what we have learned.
Regardless of the circumstances, make a habit of praising and thanking God for everything. For the good, the bad, and the ugly. Praise and gratitude are the only path to contentment.
Content in His Service,
____________________________________________
Friends, if you haven’t done it already, please donate to the Go Fund Me page to help us raise money for Edurne’s family. I thank you in advance for your generosity! Thank you for blessing the children of someone who has poured years of her life into this amazing ministry, helping all of us Love God Greatly!
Read more about Edurne and donate here:
My dear friend, Edurne Mencia, unexpectedly passed away on August 1st. She leaves behind three young children and a loving husband.
Edurne was more than just an amazing friend, she was a modern-day hero not only to me, but to many women around the world who had the privilege of calling her their friend, mentor, or leader. Edurne was a woman focus on a critical mission, to do her part in helping spread God’s Word around the world. A mission that led her many times into the jungles of Venezuela by boat with her husband to share translated Bible studies with the women, men and children living there. Edurne loved the work she and her family were doing in Venezuela and the people they were helping.
Edurne didn’t have to go into the jungles. She didn’t have to sacrifice so much. Venezuela was not her native country, but her husband’s. She had been raised in Spain. But following God’s call on her life, she and her husband moved to Venezuela after college, and she made it her home. There she taught Sunday school in her local church, helped in her children’s school and generously gave what she could to help others in her community have food on their tables for their children.
Edurne not only influenced the lives of those in her community, she also influenced women’s lives around the world through her work with Love God Greatly, an online women’s Bible study ministry where she worked as the director of their international branches as well the LGG Spanish branch, Love God Greatly. The impact of Edurne’s life will be felt for generations to come. She inspired hundreds of thousands of women all around the world, helping them love God greatly in their own languages.
Whether serving locally or online, Edurne’s life was marked by her love for God.
Please keep Edurne’s family in your prayers and donate what you can to help support her family in this time of need. May we rise up and help her family like she has helped so many families around the world!
Romans 8:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Click here to donate.
What an Amazing Woman of God! Continued prayers for her family and friends during this difficult time. Edurne’s Blog message today and others in the past have inspired and encouraged me greatly through the LGG Bible Study Series. May God continue to give her family and friends comfort, strength, and peace in the days ahead. God is with you, always meeting every need.
[email protected]
You said that you are finishing up a study. Does that mean you are going to start a new one soon? I would like to be part of a new study and wondered if I might join your group. Please let me know what else I need to do, if anything, to start the next study. I also have another friend who might be interested. How do I send her the info on how to be part of the same group? Thank you!
May God continue to bless her. Family. She SOUNDS like she was an inspiration to all she touched