Thursday, December 20, 2012

Strands

In the past two months four people in my life have passed away.

In the past two days three couples in my life have gotten engaged.

I am so blessed that the week that cousin passed away that I got to hear that three couples in my life got engaged.

I've been reminded death and life are two strands of one cord. With life comes death.  In sorrow of death there will always come joy.  In joy of life there will always be sorrow.

Death and life cannot be experienced without the other.  Even Jesus experienced both.  He celebrated with those celebrating a beginning (Marriage at Cana).  He mourned with those mourning an end (Lazarus).  He was born.  He died on a cross for all of our sins.

But Jesus overcame the cord of life.  He rose from the grave.  He ascended into Heaven.  He is the author and perfecter of our faith.  Because he was fully man he experienced the two strands in which our lives are woven.  But He is fully God. We are able to come to him in our joy and our mourning because he overcame it all.  We can be with him in life and in death. He is present in both.

With the four deaths, I praise the Lord for their lives.  For the two men of faith, who lived full quality lives and influenced those around them for the better.  For the two women of faith, that even though their lives were half the length of the men I previously mentioned they got to influence so many people.  In sorrow there is joy.