Joy in the Sorrow
by
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"Be Still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
When we are still we will find God through nature and its signs.
"Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding."
Proverbs 9:10
We see signs and look back and things make sense to us.
On Matt's May burial date, God gave us a couple of signs to show us that he and Matt's spirit were with us! First, my husband, Kris grabbed his phone out of the car as we were stepping out to walk over to Matt's burial. A photo of Matt and our son, Kristoffer from their final trip to the Rose Bowl appeared on his screen. This photo randomly appeared without him trying to bring up the photos. This hadn't ever happened to Kris before so he was amazed by this sign.
After Matthew was buried, everyone stepped away. I took a few moments at Matt's gravesite as I knew I wouldn't be back from MI very often to visit it. A bright red cardinal flew and swooped down right in front of Matt's grave. The Holy Spirit immediately said to me that that is a sign of Matt. The bright red color reminded me of Matt's love for the WI Badger red being that my sister, brother and I as well as my husband and his twin brothers graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We are all very faithful Badger fans even though not one of us currently resides in the state of Wisconsin. I also felt in my heart that this was a sign for Matt as Matt's last trip before his death was to see WI play in the Rose Bowl.
I would see cardinals often from time to time after Matt passed away. One evening a few weeks before Christmas, I pulled in my driveway and was talking on the phone with my Mom. I wasn't able to pull all the way into the garage as we had our boat in the garage for the winter. I pulled in at an angle and my car headlights shone on the white house. As I was talking with my Mom, finishing up the conversation, I thought I saw something red on the branch of our tree, showing against our white house. I thought to myself, this can't possibly be a cardinal. There is no way as I have never seen a bird at night sitting still on a tree.
I got out of the car and walked over to the tree; and sure enough, it was a cardinal. I was able to get a foot away from it, and it didn't move. I could not believe it. It was just a couple of feet away from our garage door and the house lights nearby. It ended up coming to that same spot every night until this first Christmas where Matt had not spent it here on earth. Every night, my garage door would go up and down several times with the coming and going to my girls' gymnastics practices and my son's basketball practices. The cardinal would still come and wasn't scared by our activity or our walking up to approach it.
It was clear to me this was a sign from God that my brother is alright and that there is more beyond this earth to clue us into heaven if we are still and notice God's signs. I would show this amazing sign of the cardinal to anyone that came to our door in the evening. Any visitor that came to the house during this three-week period witnessed this miraculous sign. I took a picture of the cardinal and sent it out on Facebook saying that I was wishing everyone faith that holiday season and that this cardinal is a sign of faith to me.
My friend, Santina, commented on my post saying that a cardinal is definitely a sign of the afterlife. She said if you google what a cardinal represents you will see that it is a sign of the afterlife. Its red color represents the blood of Jesus Christ shed for the redemption of mankind. The bird's name, cardinal, is actually derived from the royal red vestments worn by Catholic cardinals, the hierarchy of the church. It symbolizes hope, joy, health, rejuvenation and celebration.
A red cardinal has long been held as the most notable spiritual messenger. When it comes to you almost insistently trying to gain your attention, it is likely you are receiving a message from spirit. The red cardinal comes in the winter season of one's life to bring the reminder that the blood of Jesus takes away all of our sins and makes us as white as the snow freshly fallen with no mistakes left showing. The red symbolizes God's forgiveness showing him to be the great redeemer....redeeming trash into treasure, which is his life inside of us.
I just couldn't believe what I had found about the cardinal when I researched its meaning. I was in awe of how God uses nature as a sign from heaven. I was at complete peace knowing God had a perfect plan for Matt's life, and that he was using the cardinal as a reassurance to speak this to me. Oh, how great God is and loves us all so much to show up in such a meaningful and purposeful way.
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About the Book
When Matthew Calmes was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of twenty-six in 2006, his world, and that of his family, was turned upside down. In Joy in the Sorrow, author Sara J. Hoffman, Matt’s sister, shares his story and how his journey helped strengthen her relationship with Christ and define the purpose for her life.
She tells how through prayer and a relationship with God, we can use Satan’s tactics for God’s good. Hoffman shares her testimony of the beautiful tapestry God created throughout Matt’s journey with brain cancer and afterward. She shows how God uses people, nature, and signs to give hope, comfort, and joy in the midst of sorrow.
Joy in the Sorrow exemplifies how we are all interconnected in this earth journey and made by God for God and his higher plans and purposes. It’s a story that offers believers and unbelievers hope during their trials and sufferings.
About the Author
Sara J. Hoffman grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a business degree. She is a stay-at-home mom who worked part time from home for Sales Driven Services. A Christian, she’s participated in Bible Study Fellowship for the past eight years, as well as other Bible studies that have grown her faith. Hoffman and her husband, Kris, have three children and live in Michigan. This is her first book.