The hymn “It is Well with My Soul” has always touched my heart from the first moment I was old enough to grasp its meaning. The words were written by Horatio G. Spafford in 1873 as he passed over the area in the Atlantic where all four of his daughters had drowned after the ship they were on collided with another vessel.
What a testimony to his faith that no matter what happened in his life, it was well with his soul. He’s shared that faith with all of us.
Our lives take many twists and turns, and many of those are tragic events. Yet, through it all, our faith can and should remain strong and unaffected by outside events.
My best friend, Iris Mills Donehoo Broadbent was a living testament to that in much the same way as Mr. Spafford. “It is Well with My Soul” was not only her favorite hymn, it was also her mantra.
When she was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s she never once asked “why me?”. She never once complained that this was her lot.
As I visited with her just months before that awful disease would take her from us, she said to me: “Deb, sometimes I look in the mirror and I don’t know my name.” After a slight pause, she continued: “But God knows my name.” Indeed, sweet Iris, God knows your name.
God knows all our names, the numbers of hairs we each have on our heads, the pains and the traumas we face – God knows all! God cares, God loves, God works behind the scenes always for our good.
Regardless of what you’re going through, and what might be around the bend for you, know that “it IS well with your soul” because the God of Creation has your back.
See you next time…
