Like many, I’ve experienced tears, pain and heartache by the fistful. When our daughter was stillborn, well-meaning people tried to comfort me with the hope of heaven. “Don’t worry,” they offered. “One day you will be with her again.” Or: “Look on the bright side. Now you have an angel in heaven watching over you.” It was as if the Resurrection was used to silence my lament.
Like the psalmist, I cried, “How long, O Lord?” Make no mistake, I do believe that soon I will cry my last tear. I do believe that soon I will hold my baby in my arms again. But where is my Resurrection hope this side of eternity?
The promise of eternal life gives us hope. But the Holy Spirit gives us power and endurance to remain buoyant amid waves of heartache until we hear the Comforter’s voice say, “Peace be still.”
This message is an excerpt from “Soon and very soon” by Angela Khabeb in the October 2017 issue of Gather magazine. Today we remember the Martyrs of Japan who died in 1597.
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