When the Questions Cease

Hello Fellow Pilgrims,

 

I mentioned a few weeks ago about a friend (more like an acquaintance) who died in his sleep. He was our electrician, but more than that was a powerful preacher, church leader, musician, you name it. He was 42 ...... six months younger than my son, so maybe that's why I took it so hard.

 

Last Sunday, we visited the church where he had been a leader, and there was his whole family, come down from the Northern Territory and taking up the first three rows in the auditorium. The funeral had been the day before.  

 

After a moving service, I found myself in the foyer of the church and was introduced to Nathan's mother (yes, he shared the same name as my son, just to make it more poignant). I started to say something and found myself crying.  For you who know me, you know that I don't easily cry, but this time I just had no words.She is an Aboriginal woman and her culture found no problem bundling me up in her bosom and patting me on the back.   I tried to recover, saying things like I too had a son who died … but it all just came out an incoherent blubber. She continued to pat.  

Then I had sort of a flashback. I remember telling a good friend after our Trevor died, that it really irritated me when people thought they had to do THEIR grieving in MY ARMS! ....and yet here I was doing the same thing.  My hurt and confusion just spilled out all over her.

But from that conversation a long time ago, one thing stuck with me. We’d been talking about Japanese who grieve, and my friend quoted from I Thessalonians 4:13, "They weep because they have no hope".

So here in this lovely mother’s arms, that memory came back to me like a shot of electricity. I jumped back, because you see, as I explained to her, WE HAVE HOPE! I was able to pull myself together and blabber on for awhile, with all those platitudes about how we just can't understand, we have questions etc .......... but after a polite moment, this mother said to me with the sweetest smile, "Yes we do, and also we remember those wonderful words of Jesus, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day, you will no longer ask me anything.” John 16:22-23

I am so ashamed that God just has to keep being patient with me as (hopefully) I keep growing.

Bottom line: it’s okay to ask the questions, but rest in the fact that one day they won’t be necessary.

Have a great week!

Marsha

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