Daily Devotional – 10/18/18 “Don’t lose hope!”

Growing up, when we’d get sick, Grandma would always have a remedy for what ailed you. Grandma was from an era where they created what they couldn’t buy. She’d have a remedy for a baby with colic, a cold/flu, fever and even constipation. When anything happened to you, you go to Grandma and let her look at it because she’ll know what it is. Anybody remember Father John cough medicine? It is probably the nastiest but it works. It takes you a minute to take it because it makes you question whether it even worth it, but it works. It’s hard to swallow but it works. It brings tears to your eyes but it works. I was thinking about this on last night and I realized, sometimes what Grandma would give us to alleviate our pain wasn’t always good to us but it was good for us. Similar to death. I know you’re trying to figure out how I compare the two but go with me. See, death is hard as it snatches air from your lungs, it brings tears to your eyes and it’s hard to stomach but it’s for the good. Good for who? The person who has experienced death. See, bible shares in 2 Corinthians 5:1-8, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee He has given us His Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.”

Death is hard to us but it is also good for us as it is not that we (your mom, dad, sister, brother, child, cousin or friend) long to die but we take comfort in knowing that when we have to die; this earthly body is swallowed up, taken away from this world where our soul can be at rest and we now reside with the Lord. Yes, it’s hard to stomach and it makes you question if it is worth it, but it is. For in death there is no more. No more sickness, disease, heart-break and let downs. In death, although those of us who are left behind mourn, we should do so without losing hope. We should grieve but not grudgingly or with complaint. And understand, those of you who are reading this. I am not sharing this out of emotion but I am sharing this for those of you who need a little encouragement this day. Those of you who are angry at God for doing nothing wrong. Those of you who has had to drag the heaviness of grief, day after day. Those of you who feel like there is no one to talk to about it. Those of you who still grieve like it happened yesterday and it’s been years. There is hope, even in your grief and I am praying for you, praying that your faith does not fail you. Yes, death is a hard portion to stomach but it is also something we cannot stop. Yet, I am praying. Praying for you to make it through.