Luke 13:1-5
I cannot imagine the pain of losing Magdalena without the hope of Christ. Although my emotions have been far from perfect, I have always been reminded of and comforted by the fact that she is being held by Jesus. That he took away the pain she had while on this earth, healed her, and calls her his own. For those who have the passing of a loved one who didn't know Christ or have Christ for comfort themselves, that is the greatest tragedy.
Today my heart has been heavy for a special friend of mine who has truly suffered in ways that are unimaginable to me. Why would do this to such a godly person? Why would he take someone who constantly praises his name and goes far beyond what normal society does to tell others about Him? Why??? So many truths came to me about our God being merciful, and how he is our comfort and our shield. It doesn't say that he fulfills these descriptions in a way that we want or expect, and slowly my mind began to wrap around what God has in store for this friend's future. Something amazing is going to come out of this tragedy because if this can happen to a normal person and they live a mediocre life, just imagine what will happen for someone who truly has hope. This was a great tragedy, and I will continue to shed tears, and I know that when my heart is heavy that I need to pray for this friend, but this is NOT the greatest tragedy because God will be glorified despite how grim the circumstances may seem because my friend is a child of God.
When I read this part in the book, I thought of two lives: Magdalena and a close relative that passed away years ago when I was a teenager. That relative wasted away in the hospital, entrenched in a life of rebellious sin. This person was very kind and loving but was trapped and had not come to know the Lord. I don't know if he knew the Lord at the moment of his death or not, but my thought has been that he did not. That, at times, has felt like too much to bear.
ReplyDeleteThen, with Magdalena, for other reasons, it feels like too much to bear. Our world would look at the loss of one so young and precious as tragedy, and for us, it truly feels like it and probably always will because it is just too hard to let her go. But I will share what I told you last Friday. Last week, we were on our way home from Chick-fil-a and both of the kids had balloons. Addie out of the blue says, "When we get home, can I let my balloon go for Magdalena?" Carter immediately followed suit. So, when we got home, they let their balloons go. Addie yelled out, "Magdalena! My balloon is coming to you!" I explained to her that Magdalena couldn't hear her. Though it was so sweet she wanted to let her balloon go, really Magdalena is in Heaven with Jesus and can't hear her. Addie said, "That is so sad." And I got to tell her that yes, it is very sad for us because we will live the rest of our lives missing her but for Magdalena, that was the best thing that could ever happen to her and it would be the same for us some day, that if Jesus is our savior, when we die, we will go and meet Him face to face. Addie is only four and I don't know how much of that she soaked up, but we will continue to use those moments and others to share the gospel with her. I have even gotten to use those times to talk with Carter because he understands death a bit better and asked what would happen to him when I die? I shared with him that God would always care for him and that God has provided Daddy and friends and family that would love him. Lord willing, I'll live to a ripe old age, but if I ever die young, I want him to remember it as the day I went to meet the Lord, not that the Lord took me from him. And even though that would be hard, we are not promised our next breath so we can't live fearing that reality but living for Christ BECAUSE of that reality. To me, that is the hope that Christ gives us. 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18
Sorry for the miniblog... It just takes some words to tell that story. :)
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