Hope That Never Fades
November 17
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. 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. 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.
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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. 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 with His blood on the cross of Calvary. And it is this knowledge that brings 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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