Foggy morning

I went to work in a fog this morning.

Just before going out the door my husband, who had quickly perused the obituaries, informed me that an acquaintance had passed away suddenly while on vacation. He was 53.

My mind immediately went back to the last moment I had spoken with this now deceased man - a great guy - and his wife. We had been standing in a very long line in a funeral home and some of our reflections together had been how so many younger people that we have known have passed away. In a few days, this man's family will gather in the same funeral home, perhaps even in that very room, to mourn his passing.

I drove to work in a blur, sat down at my desk blinking back tears, took a deep breath, and wanted to curl up in a fetal position and sob for this man's wife and his two sons, though I really don't know them well.

Death and separation stinks. We feel helpless when it happens and we can't change it. Some days it seems just too hard to handle. Grieving can last for such a very long time. We can't just 'snap out of it'. Life seems to grind to a halt. The sadness of the loss can be triggered very suddenly by memories, music, sounds, even smells, long after we think we should be moving on with life. Over time the memories will become happy ones to revisit, but for now, they elicit pain. But grieving is necessary. Weeping is necessary to bring healing. And friends need to stand alongside, grieving with the heartbroken, interceding for peace and hope to uphold them.

There is One who is very acquainted with grief and with death. He grieves alongside and will never leave us. Death makes us feel very alone, but we can trust that He is as close as the next breath we take, for as long as we breathe....and then for eternity. Here we live in an imperfect world of which death is a part. But it is the unseen world that is far more real than anything we can fathom.

Eternity.

Hope.

Expectation.

Reunion.

Right now life can be foggy. But then....we shall see clearly. Hope will be realized....and loved ones embraced.

We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!
We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him
directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that
completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:
Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of
the three is love.

(I Corinthians 13: 12-13 The Message Bible)

(Note: The above photo is the work of Giuseppe Andrea Mosca. Click on the picture to see more of his stunning work on Flickr. Thank you Giuseppe. This photo captures such a beautiful thought!)

Just to know

Sometimes it's a good thing to have just enough light for the next step. If light was shed on everything that we would face in 2008, we might not be willing to step out at all. Perhaps that sounds pessimistic or discouraging, but it is simply the truth.

I attended a funeral just before Christmas, and expect to visit funeral homes twice this week. In 2007 these families did not expect that they would face the death of a loved one before year's end.

Many never knew they would battle serious illnesses this past year. It was always someone else's story. In 2007 it became their own.

Who could have seen a breakup of a family coming in 2007. Could children have fathomed their father, sadly struggling with depression, suddenly moving thousands of miles away from home with little hope of being with him again even rarely, when they were so used to him being a part of their daily activities? How do they sort out their confused emotions when they (the children) love their Dad but know adultery is wrong, but he (the adult) acts like it's okay to walk away from his marriage vow with their mother in order to be with someone else? Who would have seen such a tragedy coming?

Do death, illness, separation, and a myriad of other sad things discourage and disappoint me? Yes. It hurts. It's not fair. It's wrong. But there's a word that has been ringing in my head all through the Christmas season. I got an e-mail in December from an out of town co-worker in which he thanked me for catching an oversight on his part that would have caused hardship for an individual if not caught. He said, 'Thanks Lyn, you're a saviour'. I quickly replied, 'Not quite....we celebrate him on the 25th :-)'. I thought of 'saviour' as a rather uncommon word except in the 'religious' world. From that moment on I couldn't keep the word from my thoughts. The phrase in Silent Night kept repeating over and over...."Christ the SAVIOUR is born...Christ the SAVIOUR is born." It reminded me of hope. It spurred me to do things for others. He came....willingly....to help us. He's the remedy!

Good thing I'm not God, because I wouldn't have bothered coming. Too much pain to endure for all those who would just cast the sacrifice aside, do what they want, and not care. But He sees something in us that to him was worth the price. I don't really get it. But I know I need him. In all the heartache a year can bring, he is there....even on the other side of death.....saving, helping. A saviour rescues and delivers. Just to know he is there for me is enough light for today and gives hope and anticipation for the future.

"Just to know that I can come and
Lay at Your feet
Just to know that I won’t be denied
Just to know that I can call You my “Home”
Just to know….

Just to know all my hopes rest in Your heart
Just to know You won’t forget
Just to know that I am on Your mind
Just to know….

Just to know that You are always near
Just to know all Your promises
Will stay, right here.

Just to know that I won’t be alone
Just to know that You can hold me
Just to know in You I find my home
Just to know,
Just to know."

'Just to Know'

Written by Rita Springer and David Ruis

Found on Rita's album entitled "Effortless"