A Life Poured Out | Jonathan Pitts

we had a 15 year journey and in those 15 years we realized what it looked like to not be perfect but to be really intentional about our marriage Jonathan and winter pets celebrated their 15-year anniversary in 2018 less than a month later Jonathan turned in their final manuscript for their latest book four hours later winter took her last breath in her husband's arms our marriage isn't lacking in significance that has eternal significance that goes beyond our 15 years as well in their book emptied Jonathan shares their take on happily ever after and how their love story continues to help others even in the face of loss and tragedy well you wrote this beautiful book emptied experiencing the fullness of a poured out marriage you were married for 15 years and 27 days Ruth and God took your wife winter to heaven and my question is why do you think that God purposed you to do this project together right before taking her home yeah I don't selfishly I think about like his purpose is for me first like I think about the reality of I had a really good marriage a great marriage 15 years 27 days and to be able to document that and also to be able to turn that book in the day that she died would turn the final edited manuscript to this she died was just a reminder to me that God gave me a very special gift in winter and gave us a very special gift in our marriage and before it took taking her home like he gave me something really public and big as a reminder that he's in control and he's good second you know winter a groaner ministry for several years and this was really for us she had all these resources for girls we developed a resource for parents and this was kind of one of those things that was like okay well marriage is kind of at the center of family you know it's one of those things that kind of helps keep family together and so we just felt like God was calling us to do it just really intentionally to kind of round out just the ministry that she had that she was working and building and we were building the other in our family and so a lot of ways we were praying that God would just bless and kind of expand the reach of the ministry that that we had together and that she had and God did in a very profound way in a way I would never ask for and taking her home but God's now using the brokenness of our story just to kind of bring wholeness I think to marriages and to families and people that are in need and also people that just need healing from in grief yeah which it's actually almost just as much of a resource for grief as well because my story is one of grief but yeah I've been really touched by your story you know just following it when it happened I was just like oh you know in her life I think even speaks now you know there's a quote that Myles Munroe said he said don't die old I finished well um and she I feel you know writing ten books you know starting the four girls like you ministry having four girls and being married like she really poured out herself and and really Porter hurt her heart not in just on her life but in her marriage and so for you and your girls how are you doing and how are you um just carrying out her legacy day by day well it's it's funny that you say that I've never heard that quote don't die old die finish but there's a verse acts 1336 says that David served the purposes of God for his generation and then he fell asleep and I've heard that preached by Tony Evans mob-boss many many times but there's just this reality that that winter finished the work that God had created her for for her generation before falling asleep so that's a big deal for me and I think that's a part of us doing a part of the reason we're doing so well is because we see that God accomplished the work that he wanted to accomplish the winter and I don't know why he'd take my girls mom when they're 14 12 and twin 9 year olds or why he'd take her when we're only 15 years into our marriage but I do have this sense that when to accomplish the work that he gave her to do and like really turning that book it was this this sign that it is finished you know and so I think there's um it doesn't make it easier I mean it's still really tough we have tough moments and tough days but God's just given us I think a peace that only comes in a joy that only comes in the middle of sorrow that we get from knowing about eternity and knowing Jesus and having hope about eternity that we wouldn't have otherwise so I'd say we're doing about as well as anybody can do that's lost their wife best friend mom and all that but we're doing we're doing well I think we just have good press active on the reality of what's happened that's good we continuously pray for you thank you definitely and someone watching who maybe has just recently gone through something as devastating yeah and they're grieving and they they can't even it's like moving to the next hour just seems so difficult do you have a word of encouragement for them of how they can keep going yeah well I would say one two things one there's two scriptures that come to mind the first I think is in Psalms where it says the Lord is close to the brokenhearted I think it's almost 3418 maybe but people send it to me over and over again I was kind of annoyed at first but the reality was I would watch over these last seven months God unfold him being close to the brokenhearted through him being there for me through other people through the church the body of Christ so I would say first of all draw into the body of Christ draw closer don't isolate just draw closer to the people of God because it's the people of God that can bring God's comfort to you and the Holy Spirit works through them second is I've learned flippy ins 4:13 says I can do all I can do all these things through him who gives me strength and these things are circumstances and I used to think that was a verse that talks about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps when you're going through something or you know like that Jesus will give you the strength announce your strength but really it's his and so I would say lean into Jesus so first lean into the church second is leaning to Jesus however you can seek first the kingdom of God just seek after Jesus running after him because I found that it's in the middle of my loss that he's been closer than he's ever been and so I take comfort in that and now I know that it's not my strength its history working in me you know it's Christ in you the hope of glory so for me like right now like it's him like you know like how do you do that how are you doing this how you linking through you lost your wife your dad by yourself with your four girls all that it's him it's all him and it's history it's working in me so

Channel: TPi Zone

Views: 8,381

Rating: 4.911602 out of 5

Keywords: Jonathan Pitts, Wynter Pitts, Grief, Loss of a spouse, Widower, Holidays

Id: OBiDYKi0iXE

Length: 6min 6sec (366 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 03 2019