Of Life & Death
I live in a place surrounded by death. We live by dead people, work with the families of dead people, and even mark where those dead people will be buried.
(Occupation= Cemetery Sexton...its real, look it up)
Strangers come to me after they have lost a loved one and I help them with some of the essential aspects of a funeral. We determine the location of the grave and I schedule the opening/closing of the grave. I go through the motions, I deal with the emotions. I empathize with the hurt and try to be as helpful, understanding, and comforting as possible.
I tell people, "It's not supposed to be like this. You aren't supposed to lose your teenage son." What I mean is that God didn't intend for us to live in a world marred by sin and thus by death. We were made for eternity. That is why death is so hard. Death hurts because we were made for life, eternal life with our Father God and Savior Jesus Christ. While death is so near to me, I feel I have distanced myself from it as much as I can. I know it is a "fact of life," but that doesn't mean its okay. As I write this from Dallas, Texas my grandpa is dying of Pancreatic Cancer in Spokane, Washington.*
God, Its not supposed to happen to my loved ones. Its not supposed to hurt me.
But, the reality of his death does hurt me. It hurts me because woven into my very being is the picture of how God intended it to be and how reality is because of our sin. The Good News here is that the God of the Universe has made a way for us to live eternally despite sin and death. God sent his perfect, sinless son, Jesus, to die in our place so that the punishment of sin (my sin, your sin, past sin, future sin) would be taken from us and put on His Son. Ultimate Sacrifice. Our sins were forgiven at the cross. He asks that we give him our heart, our affections-that we allow His Holy Spirit to work and move in and through us. The beauty of this is that God made a way for us to live eternally with Him. Because God is perfectly good, holy, and just he cannot dwell with sin. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross even sinners like us can be seen as spotless and holy, be saved, and experience eternal life after death with our God and Savior.
Father, God, forgive us for our sins. Give us an eternal perspective; one that puts you first. God, thank you for the sacrifice of your Son and your redemption. That even something as ugly as sin and death can lead to eternal life with you. You are so good even in the hard times, even in the hurt.
from humbled hands,
Jessie
*My Grandpa has since passed away. I wrote this prior to his death, but felt the words should still be shared.
(Occupation= Cemetery Sexton...its real, look it up)
Strangers come to me after they have lost a loved one and I help them with some of the essential aspects of a funeral. We determine the location of the grave and I schedule the opening/closing of the grave. I go through the motions, I deal with the emotions. I empathize with the hurt and try to be as helpful, understanding, and comforting as possible.
I tell people, "It's not supposed to be like this. You aren't supposed to lose your teenage son." What I mean is that God didn't intend for us to live in a world marred by sin and thus by death. We were made for eternity. That is why death is so hard. Death hurts because we were made for life, eternal life with our Father God and Savior Jesus Christ. While death is so near to me, I feel I have distanced myself from it as much as I can. I know it is a "fact of life," but that doesn't mean its okay. As I write this from Dallas, Texas my grandpa is dying of Pancreatic Cancer in Spokane, Washington.*
God, Its not supposed to happen to my loved ones. Its not supposed to hurt me.
But, the reality of his death does hurt me. It hurts me because woven into my very being is the picture of how God intended it to be and how reality is because of our sin. The Good News here is that the God of the Universe has made a way for us to live eternally despite sin and death. God sent his perfect, sinless son, Jesus, to die in our place so that the punishment of sin (my sin, your sin, past sin, future sin) would be taken from us and put on His Son. Ultimate Sacrifice. Our sins were forgiven at the cross. He asks that we give him our heart, our affections-that we allow His Holy Spirit to work and move in and through us. The beauty of this is that God made a way for us to live eternally with Him. Because God is perfectly good, holy, and just he cannot dwell with sin. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross even sinners like us can be seen as spotless and holy, be saved, and experience eternal life after death with our God and Savior.
Father, God, forgive us for our sins. Give us an eternal perspective; one that puts you first. God, thank you for the sacrifice of your Son and your redemption. That even something as ugly as sin and death can lead to eternal life with you. You are so good even in the hard times, even in the hurt.
from humbled hands,
Jessie
*My Grandpa has since passed away. I wrote this prior to his death, but felt the words should still be shared.
What a great perspective on Life and Death! The people who come to you with grieving hearts are fortunate to have such understanding and compassion as you can show. Yes, death touches us all but so thankful for salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection we now can have have the assurance of Eternal Life!!
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