Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Suffering and Hope


What I encountered just last weekend:
 a young man's suicide while he was away at college,
a mother whose teen daughter was killed in an auto accident
at an uncontrolled traffic intersection,
a Missouri city ravaged by a freak tornado
and 116 random deaths,
our Maui pastor succumbing to brain cancer,
military widows and their children gathering together
at a hotel in West Virginia.

Every day, the bell tolls. Death, grief, loss.
It cannot be ignored.
It cannot be controlled.
It cannot be contained.

Resiliency.
 The ability to bounce back after trauma and loss.
The ability to scale a jagged mountain of shock, sadness, and sorrow,
 on your hands and knees,
and keep going
while knowing
there are yet more mountains
to be scaled.

I guess I can say now that I have it.


It requires endurance.
"I can do this for now."

It's based on hope.
"It won't always be this way." 

It relies on trust in the Truth Teller.
"If it were not so, He would have told me".


Rev 21:3-5
 I also heard a loud voice from the throne which said: "Behold, God's dwelling-place is with men, and he shall dwell among men, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning nor wailing, nor pain, for the first things have passed away."
The One who is seated on the throne said:
 "Behold, I make all things new!"
And he added, "Write this:
'These words are faithful and true.'"

4 comments:

Gberger said...

Yes, I believe you do have it. And now, you are shedding light on it for others.

I am so sorry for these painful losses in your life, in all of our lives. I stand with you in solidarity, putting one foot in front of the other (and sometimes on hands and knees), step by step, looking for His light and love on the journey. I am so grateful that we know that He is with us, even in those times when we cannot feel it. His love is in us, around us, for us and for all. Thanks be to God!

Robin said...

Love to you, my friend. Just when we think we cannot stand one more thing, one more death, one more loss -- there it is.

You are a great blessing to all with whom you walk, not just because of what you endure every second, but because you shine with the light of Jesus' love and generosity.

Daisy said...

Amen, dear (((Karen))) Amen.

Mich

Anonymous said...

Late post as I had avoided any thing because I felt so wounded again. You helped pull it all together and glad i got to ready it. Love Sharon