From Death into Eternity

The last three weeks have been a weird, emotional roller-coaster. Three deaths in three weeks. Three weeks ago, my family finds out that my grandmother's cousin who was missing for three weeks was found dead in a river. Very few answers, but his car was found stolen a couple states away, and that same individual who was driving his car knew where his remains were. Kidnapping, theft, murder....whatever it was, it was unpleasant to say the least. Then two weeks ago, a family friend was lost to a brain tumor. Then, just four days ago, a friend on my softball team died at the age of 31.

Sometimes life seems to float on by with nothing huge going on, no big events. Other times, it flies by and you can barely catch your breath. Sometimes, like these last three weeks, there are a series of unfortunate events that would normally leave you asking "why"? Why did those things have to happen? Those people didn't deserve that. An 87 year old kidnapped and murdered? A woman dying of incurable cancer? A young man's body failing after fighting for so many years? Why, God, why?

That's not the question to ask at this point. It's not why? That question will get you nowhere. Our lives are not owed to us. Every breath we have, every day we live is a blessing from God that He has given to us. God owes us nothing, and we should be thanking Him each day He gives us to live with a chance to be in relationship with his son, Jesus Christ. Another thing that I think of during this time when so much death surrounds my life is that this life is not the end. This life, the here and now, our time here on earth, is only just a glimpse of the eternity we will spend with the Lord in Heaven. So, this life I live now in this body, I will try to make the best of it and make every action and word bring glory to God the Father. But when it is time for Him to call me home, I will be ready to join Him in eternity. And I know that some of the individuals who have passed on in these last three weeks have passed on to eternal life and I am comforted by this Truth.

I know the pain and hurt may last a little while, but there is hope and joy being offered to you. This is not the end. God can bring goodness out of anything, and He will be glorified in the end.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18