Jesus Wept

By now we all know that no one escapes this life alive. Because of sin in the world we all must pay the price, we all must die. Praise the Lord that it is just one death. Due to Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and His resurrection, we have the chance to spend eternity in Heaven! All we have to do is believe and accept the gift and Heaven awaits us!

It is exciting to read the Bible passages and think about Heaven. It is even more exciting to know that what we are imagining does not even come close to how amazing and truly awesome Heaven is. The best part of Heaven is not the streets of gold, the crystal sea, or the reunion with loved ones. Though, all those are perfectly wonderful things. The best part of Heaven is the throne room. The room where Christ sits at the right hand of the Father. The room where will be bowing down and singing praises to our Lord and Savior. Hallelujah!

Heaven is a wonderful place, and it IS filled with glory and grace. Yet, even as we know that our loved ones that trusted Christ are there NOW it doesn't take away the grief that comes one God calls one of them home. Grief is a godly emotion. Christ grieved.

Think about that...JESUS CHRIST GRIEVED. God the Son, who has reigned in Heaven from before time began, grieved. His friend had just died and Christ wept. Jesus knew where Lazarus was, Jesus came to us from Heaven, and still he wept when his friend died. Weeping and grief is godly. When God calls one of the saints home, it means that for those of us left, there is a long term good-bye.

We may know that our loved one is in Heaven, but that doesn't mean that the days w/o them here are easy. When a spouse dies they leave a hole-the bed is no longer as warm at night and things that used to annoy us, are missed. You miss having to pick up after them, wash their dishes and hear them snoring. There is a hole. They may be in Heaven, but you are left to pick up the pieces, to fashion a life and figure out where God wants you now.

As Christians we are called to walk the straight and narrow path, not the smooth and easy one. The joy is that Christ is always with us. He won't always shield us from pain and suffering, from having to answer life's toughest questions. But he will always be there beside us, behind us, before us and holding us. If we call out to Him, He will be there, He will hear and He will provide an answer. He promised to do all that. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matt. 7:7-8)

We can all name people that we love and that have finished their race. We can name people that we miss dearly, that we still grieve for some days. It is ok to miss them, to grieve for them, to weep. But just like Jesus, we need to continue to look to God, to give our tears to God and to live while we are here. As the wise king Solomon said in Ecc. 3:
"1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."

Make the most of each moment, of each time you are in. Create a "Bucket List" and do those things. Make your life full of memories, family and friends. And by gosh, if you love someone hurry up and show it!