I have been reminded this past week that, whether expectancy or not, death comes to us all. At all ages. In all sorts of circumstances. In all stages. It is something we can not control. To thwart is impossible. You try to prepare, but in the long run, it still knocks the wind right out of you. Grief tosses you to and fro in a sea of sadness. Our hope has been challenged. Our comprehension is beyond our own understanding. A multitude of questions are hurled out into the night sky. Where were You, God, when they needed You most? Why did they suffer? Why did You not heal them?
Friends, I have asked those questions over the years as I have watched many friends and family members slip away and still do not have all the answers, but through scripture and personal agony, I have learned that through, "....suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope......" Romans 5:3-4. This exemplifies who they are and how they carried on. To live a life that points others to a Just and Merciful Savior. Who carried the weight of mine, theirs, and your pain upon His shoulders. And I believe without a shadow of a doubt that NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE, suffers in vain! I know first hand this to be true. We were not promised an easy life here on Earth. This is not our eternal home. We are just passing through. This suit upon our bones is just a rental. And the older I get, and the sicker I seem to become, even in my most darkest moments, when I personally felt all hope to be lost, He lovingly cradled me within His arms, reminding me that compared to the Glory that lies ahead, my pain is for but an instant. I appreciate this more and more each and every single day, knowing full well, that when I cross that shore, God will continue to use my story that I leave behind.
So Beloved, through it all, we see their character shine ever so brightly for our non-understanding eyes to see. Between tears, they found tender moments of peace. God shadowed them through all they endured. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble, or hardship, or persecution.....? NO, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who love[s] us." Revelations 8:35,37 emphasis added. "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the Glory that will be revealed in us." Revelations 8:18. Even now tears of remembrance stream down my cheek as I can still see there beautiful faces in the corners of my mind. Their smiles radiated love and kindness. Their precious memories continue to live forever in my heart. Their lives represented courage and strength which inspires me to this very day. Our loved ones have gone ahead, but the tapestry of their legacy stays behind. It is pieces of their lives and their memories that intertwine with ours and helps us swim through a sea of grief, onto dry land where we continue on in their footsteps by exemplifying their love, joy, humor, strength, kindness, and all else that is woven in between. And knowing full well, that when we cross over to the other side, we will be reunited, never to be separated again.
"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." ~Kahlil Gibran
