Saturday, April 23
Job 19:21-27a
Psalms 27, 95, 88
Hebrews 4:1-16
Romans 8:1-11
Psalm 27
This passage has special meaning to me at this specific moment of my life as I, like many of you reading this, have recently lost my last surviving parent. Although I can intellectually rationalize this loss with the knowledge that she is free from distress and in a better place, it is nevertheless a life-changing event for me. No longer will I have her to talk to, share family stories, solicit advice and opinions as mothers and sons so often do. Even though we've not lived in the same city for over 30 years, I have trouble seeing how my life without her (and my father who passed over 25 years ago) will ever be the same. I've been wondering how I will keep this event from diminishing me as a person, a father, or a husband? You see, I mistakenly jump to the conclusion that I'm supposed to have all the answers and navigate myself through life's troubles. Verse 10 of this Psalm serves to remind me of the obvious answer. "When my father and mother are turned away from me, then the Lord will be my support." I'm reminded that this change in my life is a call to shine a light on my faith and dependency with the Lord. I know that the best way I can do this is through meditation and prayer on a consistent and frequent basis. The Psalm concludes with "Let your hope be in the Lord; take heart and be strong, yes, let your hope be in the Lord." Though I clearly want to stay in the lives of my family and take care of them here on earth right now, I have an desire to "have a place in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." The good news is that God has a place for all of us who seek his support and salvation. And in that time, I'm comforted by the fact that I will be reunited with my family and other loved ones for eternity in heaven. Here's to the acknowledgement that coping on earth with worldly tragedies is transient and only possible when we let our hope be in the Lord.
Doug Hart