Life is a Journey ... |
Life is like a journey. We travel through each day of life, hoping, planning, looking forward to what lies ahead. We enjoy the present and remember good times of the past. But no matter how carefully we plan, no matter what our hopes and dreams for the future might be, as we travel the road of life we're going to get caught by surprise along the way. We will find unexpected hardships, delays and problems. One of those unexpected hardships is the death of loved ones. No matter how much we prepare and think about death, when it comes we're never really ready. No matter how much or how little advanced warning we have, the death of a loved one always catches us off guard and stops us in our tracks. Because when someone close to us dies, not only does our hearts ache from our loss but we come face to face with our own mortality, with the fact that sooner or later each of us will die. In times like these, we have to look into our faith and seek the deeper meaning of hope in our lives. We have to pause for a moment and catch our breath because death has caught us by surprise again. We come to remember that each of those memories and experiences was a gift from God, given as a blessing as we have walked along our journey of life. We may not find answers to all those questions we will never understand, especially where death is concerned, but God has a message of good news for us, a message of hope and promise in the face of death. To find that hope and blessed assurance, we turn to the Word of God, to those passages in the Bible, which are the witness of people of faith who lived long ago. These are the faith statements of people who have walked the road of life before us, facing the same trials and disappointments we face in our lives today, people who had to pause from time to time to renew their faith and regain their trust in God. We hear the words of people who suffered distress, discouragement, pain and alienation. They were seeking hope in the middle of what looked like hopeless situations. They wanted peace in their times of distress. Scripture is witness to what we can expect in this life... successes and failures, sometimes more of one than the other. But the promise of Scripture is that through it all, in the thrill of victory as well as the agony of defeat, we are never alone, that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. The writer of the Gospel of Luke tells us something about his faith as he shares the story of two men walking along the road to Emmaus. These two disciples were desperate, disillusioned, and discouraged. Jesus had died and his body was nowhere to be found. So they were running away from the pain they felt at his death. But as they walked along the road, the Risen Lord came and walked with them. They talked with Jesus, and as he asked them a few innocent questions, they were allowed to share their hurt and pain, their confusion and distress. In the process of their sharing, these disciples recognized the Risen Christ and they found new hope, new meaning, new direction for their lives in his victory over death. Our shared journey of life and faith goes on. Like the first disciples of Christ, we walk together, sharing our moments of doubt and our moments of faith. We walk as the wondering, hurting, confused, discouraged, and yet somehow hopeful followers of the Son of God. But like the disciples on the Emmaus road, we do not walk alone. Friends and family may be there to comfort us....but more importantly, we can always lean on Jesus. Remember that our Lord is present with us, sharing our journey, bringing us new hope and faith, renewing us with his promises of forgiveness, love, and eternal life. Thanks be to God for His love and mercy as we continue along the journey of our life, trusting in the sure and certain hope of that day, someday, when we shall inherit the promise of resurrection life and be with our Lord and loved one forever. Life is simply a journey.... a journey home! Scriptures: Luke 24:13-35; John 14:1-3; Romans 8:38-39. |
HOPE is a wonderful gift from God, a source of strength and courage in the face of life's harshest trials. |
* When we are trapped in a tunnel of misery, HOPE points to the light at the end. * When we are overworked and exhausted, HOPE gives us fresh energy. * When we are discouraged, HOPE lifts our spirits. * When we are tempted to quit, HOPE keeps us going. * When we lose our way and confusion blurs the destination, HOPE dulls the edge of panic. * When we struggle with a crippling disease or a lingering illness, HOPE helps us persevere beyond pain. * When we fear the worst, HOPE brings reminders that God is still in control. * When we must endure the consequences of bad decisions, HOPE fuels our recovery. * When we find ourselves unemployed, HOPE tells us we still have a future. * When we are forced to sit back and wait, HOPE gives us the patience to trust. * When we feel rejected and abandoned, HOPE reminds us we're not alone... we'll make it. * When we say our final farewell to someone we love, HOPE in the life beyond gets us through grief. The above text was taken from Chuck R. Swindoll's book, Hope Agian. An excellent book for you to read during your journey through grief. |
