Hope That Never Fades
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into
a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and
into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
1Peter 1:3, 4
It had been five weeks since Matt had been laid to rest.
Those five weeks had been a time of reflection for Kim, recalling different events
God had used to weld her and Matt’s lives into a strong marriage. And as much
as she missed Matt she was thankful for their more than thirty years together.
These five weeks had also been a time of agonized waiting,
waiting to say goodbye to another precious member of her family. And that’s
what they were doing this morning, saying goodbye to her son, Ryan, who had
succumbed to ALS at the early age of twenty-seven. This morning Kim was helping
her daughter-in-law, Michael, make final arrangements. Occasionally, the sorrow
would overcome one of them and they would stop what they were doing and just
embrace each other.
Were it not for their faith, they might have easily found
themselves raising their fists to God in anger. Instead, they spoke fondly of special
times spent with their spouses. In truth, they were thankful that God had not
allowed father or son to languish and suffer long illnesses.
†
When someone we love is taken from us the shock of their death
can take a while to register. When it does there is sorrow and grief, with a
sense of loss that feels as if it will never go away. But as Christians, we can
take comfort in the fact that our parting and grief is temporal.
Although it has been some time since their passing, Matt and
Ryan’s physical loss is still deeply felt by Kim and Michael. I’m equally confident
both hold tightly to the promise and hope of a Heavenly reunion.
It is this hope Jesus bought for us with His blood on the
cross of Calvary. And it is this knowledge that brings us comfort, and a hope
that never fades.
Prayer
“May the hope and
promise of a grand reunion give us comfort, Lord. Amen.”
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