Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend time with a friend whose family has been rocked by the sudden death of a loved one. She shared with me how the brother of the deceased is struggling to cope. He holds his emotions together only to crater under the strain of grief. My heart breaks as I hear of this family's pain and I feel helpless, wanting more than anything to take it away.
Where can we go when death is standing over us like a dark shadow? We must turn to Jesus. He is our Comforter and Hope. Jesus is well acquainted with grief. He stood at the tomb of his good friend, Lazarus. He listened to the cries of Lazarus' sisters, "Jesus, if you had been here, this wouldn't have happened." Have you ever said that to Jesus?
What was Jesus' response to this grieving family? The shortest verse in all of scripture - John 11:35, "Jesus wept." Jesus loved this family and cried with them. Was Jesus crying because it was a hopeless situation? No. Was he crying because he was helpless to do anything about it? No. He cried because death was never in God's plan. When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden, the world was perfect. Death didn't exist until man sinned. It broke God's heart then and it breaks His heart now.
Jesus wept because he loves his people so much. He hates to see us suffer. When we cry, he cries. Shortly after crying with his friends, he went on to raise Lazarus from the dead. Wow, now that's a pretty good response to grief! If only Jesus would come and raise all of our loved ones from the dead. Why doesn't he?
He raised Lazarus from the dead to show that only HE (Jesus) has power over death. Nothing and no one in all the world is stronger than death - except Jesus! He gave his life that we could cheat death. Jesus brings eternal life to those who trust in him.
Friends, between you and me, when it's my time to go, I don't want to be brought back to this decrepit world. I want Jesus to raise me up to heaven. I want to be alive with him for all of eternity in a world without sin.
I'm happy for Lazarus' sisters that they got to see Lazarus again this side of heaven. But the point of the story does not end with a resurrection barbeque in Lazarus' backyard. The real party happens when Jesus welcomes us home to heaven. He brings life eternal to all of us who will call upon his name.
Are you grieving today? Know that Jesus grieves with you. Are you angry at death? Jesus is too. Do you feel helpless? You are. But Jesus isn't. He has conquered death. Friends, let Jesus comfort us as no one else can. Let us turn to the only one who can do something about death. Like Lazarus' sisters, let's call upon Jesus.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Possum in My Pool - by Chris Archinal
This morning I rescued a baby possum from our pool. He was holding on to a basketball struggling to stay balanced and keep his head above water. He had obviously been holding on all night. To be honest, even though a nasty little creature, it was a sad sight. I carefully took the pool net, picked him and the basketball out of the water, then crushed him with a shovel.
Just kidding! I took the sad soaked critter and carefully set him down over the back fence into the bayou from where he likely came. With his claws (and even his teeth) he clung to that ball, fearing that he was being dumped into greater peril. When I grazed his back with the grass he reluctantly and suspiciously placed a paw on the ground. Recognizing it was safe, he let the rest of his weary body collapse into the grass.
He didn't lay there long. The kids and I watched as he slowly crawled again to my backyard, this time behind a storage shed...nice. I went to clean out the pool skimmers while the kids stayed glued to the possum's every move. They tracked him like they were on some Animal Planet reality show.
Sadly, there in the skimmer I found the possum's brother. Bummer. He didn't make it. I could imagine the events of the previous night. One brother struggles to survive on a basketball and watches as the other brother fights for his life; finally succumbing to the depths of the water and eventually sucked into the skimmer. Oh the drama.
You know the sad/interesting thing about this story? In our pool we have what we affectionately call the "Popsicle step". It's an over sized step leading into our pool. Pool companies advertise it as a tanning step. That possum, who I was just informed by my kids is now named Midnight, was 18 inches from that step when we found him. Who knows how close his brother may have been. One little stroke of the paw and he likely would have found himself on the safety of the step.
As I sat on the back patio, finding myself lost in the story of the two brothers' struggle, I began to play out a Disney-type storyline. Picture it with me: Two possums struggling to stay afloat on an unsteady basketball. Finally, one brother realizes they'd both die if they both continue to stay on the ball. The older brother sacrifices himself so the younger can live.
Cheesy, I know. Welcome to my world. As the movie played out in my head, I began to see the spiritual significance. In fact, I'm wiping tears from my eyes as I type because of the lesson I learned. So many people, me included, find themselves struggling and fighting for their life in this cruel world. So many people trying to stay afloat. Looking for peace. Looking for answers. Answers that they hope will "save" them.
Are we much different than this poor little possum? Fortunately, our salvation is only 18 inches away. That 18 inches is the distance from your head to your heart. You have heard (in your head) about the salvation Jesus offers. You have heard of His forgiveness. You have heard of His obsessive-compulsive tendencies to seek you out. You know in your head what He says is true...BUT you haven't believed it in your heart.
Maybe you haven't received this truth because you think you're not good enough. Maybe it's because you think, "He couldn't forgive me, I mean, look at me!" So instead of trusting Him in your heart, you just hold on for dear life, trying to balance yourself in this world moments from drowning.
Friends YOU ARE ONLY 18 inches from safety. Trust Him today. Believe in Him today. Whoever you are, whatever you've become...He loves you. He loves you enough to not just leave you there. Reach out for Him. Your salvation is closer than you think.
Just kidding! I took the sad soaked critter and carefully set him down over the back fence into the bayou from where he likely came. With his claws (and even his teeth) he clung to that ball, fearing that he was being dumped into greater peril. When I grazed his back with the grass he reluctantly and suspiciously placed a paw on the ground. Recognizing it was safe, he let the rest of his weary body collapse into the grass.
He didn't lay there long. The kids and I watched as he slowly crawled again to my backyard, this time behind a storage shed...nice. I went to clean out the pool skimmers while the kids stayed glued to the possum's every move. They tracked him like they were on some Animal Planet reality show.
Sadly, there in the skimmer I found the possum's brother. Bummer. He didn't make it. I could imagine the events of the previous night. One brother struggles to survive on a basketball and watches as the other brother fights for his life; finally succumbing to the depths of the water and eventually sucked into the skimmer. Oh the drama.
You know the sad/interesting thing about this story? In our pool we have what we affectionately call the "Popsicle step". It's an over sized step leading into our pool. Pool companies advertise it as a tanning step. That possum, who I was just informed by my kids is now named Midnight, was 18 inches from that step when we found him. Who knows how close his brother may have been. One little stroke of the paw and he likely would have found himself on the safety of the step.
As I sat on the back patio, finding myself lost in the story of the two brothers' struggle, I began to play out a Disney-type storyline. Picture it with me: Two possums struggling to stay afloat on an unsteady basketball. Finally, one brother realizes they'd both die if they both continue to stay on the ball. The older brother sacrifices himself so the younger can live.
Cheesy, I know. Welcome to my world. As the movie played out in my head, I began to see the spiritual significance. In fact, I'm wiping tears from my eyes as I type because of the lesson I learned. So many people, me included, find themselves struggling and fighting for their life in this cruel world. So many people trying to stay afloat. Looking for peace. Looking for answers. Answers that they hope will "save" them.
Are we much different than this poor little possum? Fortunately, our salvation is only 18 inches away. That 18 inches is the distance from your head to your heart. You have heard (in your head) about the salvation Jesus offers. You have heard of His forgiveness. You have heard of His obsessive-compulsive tendencies to seek you out. You know in your head what He says is true...BUT you haven't believed it in your heart.
Maybe you haven't received this truth because you think you're not good enough. Maybe it's because you think, "He couldn't forgive me, I mean, look at me!" So instead of trusting Him in your heart, you just hold on for dear life, trying to balance yourself in this world moments from drowning.
Friends YOU ARE ONLY 18 inches from safety. Trust Him today. Believe in Him today. Whoever you are, whatever you've become...He loves you. He loves you enough to not just leave you there. Reach out for Him. Your salvation is closer than you think.
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