(For any of you needing this - my heart's path this morning...)
I came out to pray in my garden today - and I missed the little cat who used to honour me by sitting on my lap here. She was just a shadow of her beautiful self when she left us. Which brought me to my Dad. And our little dog, Teddi.
I've seen the ravages of age. It is not kind. I've seen the ugliness of disease. It sucks the very life from those you love! And yet - still we cling to it! We want to grow old before we die! Despite its struggles. We want to fight with every ounce of strength when cancer tries to take us down! But at what cost? What are we hanging on to??
This life we live here can be precious and beautiful. But it can also be harsh and unmerciful. And when our life has turned the corner from the sweet to the sour, when there is no hope of return, why do we still hang on so desperately to its last threads? I guess if you believe that this life is the only one you get, you will do that. You want to exist as long as possible, no matter what the price.
As a Christian I believe, that while this life is a precious gift, and should be lived cherishing every beautiful thing in it, it is marred by a terrible curse, and because of that, it's only a shadow of the life meant for us. All this suffering was never meant to be. For those bearing it, and for those who love them.
For me, this life is just a moment in time. We've been given the most beautiful promise - a life without pain that will never end! It cost my God very deeply to provide it. But he wanted us to have what he meant for us to have from the very beginning. So he did what it took to make that happen.
There is a life after this one. It is free to any who will receive it. The catch is, it comes with him. Living his way is the only way this new life will be pain free. But it is real. And it is coming for us. So when death is knocking at my door, whether it's from age or disease or some terrible accident - it's ok! I don't need to fight it!
At that point it's not worth scrabbling to hold on to!! Because it's not the end!!! It's the beginning of something much more wonderful!! It's ok to let go! Next thing I know, my life will be amazing and incredibly beautiful. And it will be a life free of pain. Forever.
