This
is My Story,
This
is My Song,
Praising
My Savior,
ALL
THE DAY LONG!
It was as if we had entered into another world. A world
unknown to any of us. We had never crossed these shores before. Nor
was I sure I wanted to cross them now. But the song "In Over My
Head" sung by Bethel's Jenn Johnson kept crashing over me, leading me
deeper and deeper into uncharted waters. This is the beginning of
entering in to the Chronicles of Narnia...
My beloved husband, Tyren, was absolutely exhausted. I had
never seen him so tired before. The only other time I could compare it
with was the time he had crashed, physically, after he single-handedly
delivered our little Chayah over six years ago in our Lichinga home. He
was so exhausted in the days following that home birth, that I felt I should be
attending to him after giving birth rather than him attending to me. This
was worse. I can't even describe it. I don't know what exactly
caused him to get so worn down. He was doing everything he normally
does-and then some. But it didn't seem to be to the point where he
wouldn't recover-given some extended down time and relaxation. Which was
exactly what I ordered. And he did that-to the best of his ability at the
time. He couldn't just stop everything with so many people dependent on
him for so many different things-from the guards to our family-everyone needed
him daily for something. And being the kind of person he was-always
supporting, always caring, always exhorting and stirring others up to walk into
their God given destinies-he was there for everyone who needed him, even in his
time of weakness. That week, he gave of himself to his family, our
Lichinga base, the prison, and everyone else he felt he needed to be there for.
The following week, our whole family left the reality of our known
world and we entered into another reality. One where Daddy and husband
began to lose his strength. One where Daddy and husband leaned on us more
than we leaned on him. This was a strange new world for all of us.
But Tyren continued to lift us, his family, up in prayer and encourage us
in the word of the Lord. God had some specific things to share with us
that week and Tyren delivered them. He watered and washed us with the
word of God that was pouring from his heart for our family and for myself, his
wife. Contending for strength in his body, he continued to contend for
his family for our strength in the Lord. God told him that he was going
to graduate and be skipped a couple of levels and that we were also going to be
graduating. As Tyren shared these words with us, none of us had any idea
what graduation day would look like-not even Tyren himself realized when he
spoke to us that day. I told him that I was going to write a blog about
him after he and our family graduated. I already had the title which you
read at the top of this blog. I thought we would have a great and awesome
testimony to share about how God miraculously restored Tyren's strength.
Little did we know that God intended to promote him to the highest level
of graduation.
Briefly, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the Chronicles
of Narnia, it is about 4 siblings who are suddenly and without
warning, transported from their normal, mundane life in England to another
world called Narnia. They face and overcome many evils and fight many
battles. During their many trials and tribulations, along with their many
victories, they find out that they are actually kings and queens in a kingdom
where Aslan is the loving supreme leader of Narnia. Aslan eventually lays
down his own life to defeat an evil witch and save Narnia and is then raised
back to life victoriously the following day.
Last week, my oldest daughter and I were talking about Tyren and
she mentioned that she felt her Daddy had suffered more spiritually than
physically before he died. I told her that I agreed with her and that God
must have decided that this was to be his last battle. That's when she
told me the title of the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia-it's
called The Last Battle. In this last battle, the Narnians are
fighting for their lives and for Narnia when they are instantly transported
into Aslan's country, the allegorical heaven, right in the midst of the battle.
One moment they were fighting, and the next moment they had graduated!
That was their last battle. Victorious and triumphant, they entered
into the next level. Tyren fought his last battle and, peacefully, he
graduated to the final level-the ultimate level-where he will fight no more.
He has overcome and has entered into his victory.
Now, I feel that we have been left here in Narnia for a time.
And I know we have many battles and challenges ahead of us in this
strange land. But, I also know that, like Tyren, one day we will graduate
and enter into the victory that Christ has already won for us. And if we
really believe in who God says we are in Him, we can enter into that victory
even now, well before our time comes to leave this land.
And that is the end of the first chapter for the Haynes family in
the book of the Chronicles of Narnia.
Blessings,
Tiffany
