Reflections 9/5/2020: My heart is heavy at the news of a friend’s loss of their son. Sudden. Unexpected. Devastating. Left a wife and two young kids.😢 Makes me wish I could bargain with You, God, to have taken me, an old lady who has already lived a full life, instead of one who still had so much life ahead of him. But I know it doesn’t work that way. So grief happens. Hits hard. Paul says “we grieve, but not as those who have no hope.” What does he mean by that? Hmmm… hope? A hope that is anchored in Your promise that the end is not the end. That life goes on after our short stint here on earth. And gets better! Intensely and everlastingly better! And the hope that we will see each other again. No tears. No pain. No disease. No relational conflicts. Just delight and love! But these anchors of hope don’t eliminate grief, because the reality of our loss here and now still cuts to the quick. A deep wound. That hope just assuages our hearts so it is bearable. Shared with You Lord. So hold them close as they travel this unwanted path. Give them grace as the angry questions, even accusations erupt. Wrap them in Your Presence when depression threatens. Fill their hearts with all the precious memories that remind them that their son, brother, husband, father’s life mattered. Shorter than wanted, but intensely lived!