The Date

                                                    

                        

Yesterday was a special day for me.  I always had a special place in my heart for July 26th.  On that day in 1899, my grandfather, Edmund Just was born.  And on the day of his 21st birthday, he married his sweetheart, my grandmother Florence.  They wee married for almost 60 years.  Theirs was a true love story.  They raised 8 wonderful children, and had 38 grandchildren...and I have no idea how many great grandchildren.  A special day.

I'm afraid not everyone will consider July 26th a happy memory.  Yesterday, we received word of a tragedy.  One that every parent prays never comes.  A sweet young toddler was the victim of a horrible drowning accident.  Her family used to live in this area, but moved away to minister to others in another state. 

July 26th will mean a totally different thing to this precious family.  A day that changed their lives forever. What can you say in a circumstance like that?

Some people try to console the grief stricken family with words that are intended to comfort. 

"She is with the LORD."

"She is in a better place."

"The angels came and took her away."

"God wanted her to come and live with Him."

"I know how you feel."

"You have another child"....or the heartwrenching  "You can always have another child."

That family does NOT want their child or loved one to be anywhere but with them.  They don't want to hear about God wanting her more than they did...and they don't think anyone can know how they feel.

The best thing to do is just be there...and if you cannot...pray for the family.  For the most part, there is nothing you could say.  No words suffice.

Why do tragic things like this happen?  There is no answer.  No one knows why.  We won't know until we reach heaven.  Until then, we lean on each other.  Sometimes we are the ones who are doing the holding...other times we are the ones that are doing the leaning.  God gave us the people in our lives to support us and for us to support.  No (wo)man is an island.  We are not meant to live in a cocoon.  Hold the ones we love close...for we never know how long we have with them. 

A Senselss Murder

                         

                            

          

There is so much controversy concerning the verdict in the Casey Anthony trial.  Casey was found 'not guilty' in the murder of her 3 year old daughter, Caylee.  The jury deliberated, and decided there was not evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that she was guilty of murder. People are divided over the outcome of the verdict...to the point of violence.  Most people are upset that justice wasn't granted in the little girl's death. The blame didn't go to where we thought it should . No one was held accountable for a senseless murder.

Two thousand years ago, there was another senseless murder of an Innocent.  He did not deserve to die.  But, unlike Caylee, there wasn't very many people on His side. There were no crowds outside His 'courtroom' demanding justice.   Most people were screaming for His death.  He had done no wrong, yet He said not a word in His defense.  Who could be held accountable for His death?. The answer may surprise you.

It wasn't Pontius Pilate, the one that sentenced Him to be beaten.  It wasn't Herod, who refused to even handle the case.  It was the sins of you and I that put Christ on the cross.  It can be so easy to point fingers at those individuals that we think "get away with murder" when in actuality our sins are just as wrong.  Perhaps not as horrific as some, but wrong, nonetheless. 

Scripture says: 
Romans 3:23-24    For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
1 John 3:4-5    Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. The price for all sin is death. 
Romans 6:23a    For the wages of sin is death

We have ALL been sentenced to the death penalty.  The death penalty?  But we didn't do anything so bad as to deserve that!!  Yes we did.  We have sinned.  Notice the verse didn't specify "murder" or "stealing" or "adultry".  It didn't say only "bad" sins deserves death.  ALL sins deserves death.  And we all have sinned.  We are guilty as charged.  No appeal can be accepted.  We are on death row.

But wait.  The verse is not over.  Verse 23 goes on to say:  "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.".  We have been given a reprieve.  The governor called at the last second to grant us a full pardon.  Did we deserve it?  No.  But all we have to accept that gift.  It is not an automatic exoneration.  We have to show true repentance, change our ways and believe that Christ died for our sins.  We have to confess that He is our Savior and Lord.  Then the death sentence is lifted.  We are free to walk the streets of Heaven...no guilt attached to us.  Undeserved to be sure, but free nonetheless.

As for Casey Anthony....she as will we, will ultimately be judged by the Only Judge that counts. The verdict He pronounces, will not be shown on Fox News or CNN.  As with us, that is a personal decree that will be done in private.  If we have accepted Christ as our Savior we will be declared not guilty....if we ignore Him and decide that we have no need for Him in our life...the sentence will be guilty as charged. 

Romans 14: 10-12      You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.  It is written:
   As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
   every tongue will acknowledge God.’
  So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

And as for little Caylee?  A good friend of mine, Becky said yesterday, "The best thing is that little Caylee Anthony is playing at the feet of Jesus not at all concerned about today's events."  That is so true.  Her killer will be judged by the Great Judge.  We just have to keep in mind that one day, we will, too.

Didn't See That Coming...

                             
                                      

      I am notorious for being a hardhead...in more ways than one!!  God knew what he was doing when He made my skull thick, because I'm forever hitting my head  on things. At times, I don't notice what's around me, and WHAM!!

     At times we get smacked by life changing circumstances that we don't expect to happen.  This past week we had two events that took us by surprise.  A death of a dear friend, and the accidental injury of another.

     What happens when these unexpected twists occur?  How do we  handle the shock and disbelief?  We try to wrap our minds about what has happened.  We automatically think about the last time we were together and things were 'normal'.  We may wonder...what is normal?  Will our lives ever be normal again?

Late one Friday evening, a handful of friends gathered together.  They were drawn together by an unexpected tragedy.  Their good friend had just been brutally killed.  Some of them had been witnesses.  They were in shock.  Just last night they had all been together and were so happy.  They had been celebrating.  And now...this.  How life can change in 24 hours.  Why?  Why him?  He didn't deserve to have that happen to him.  It wasn't fair.   
They talked quietly amongst themselves.  They took turns crying.  The friends had so many thoughts running around in their heads.  They thought of the last time they had seen him.  One of them had said some horrible things.  He didn't mean them.  He was just acting out of emotions.  It was too late to say he was sorry, now.  Another friend was deeply concerned for the man's family.  He had left an elderly mother.  He had tried to comfort her, but that was an impossible task.  How do you comfort a woman whose child had died?  So many thoughts and emotions.   And to top it all off, they were all afraid.  They were scared that the group that had killed their friend would come after them, too. The crowd was so angry and mean.
The hours slipped by.  Soon it had been 12 hours...then 24...then the next thing you know, it was early Sunday morning.  Three of their friends had gone to the grave to prepare the body.  They weren't even able to do the proper form of burial, because he had died right before the Sabbath began.  No work at all was allowed on the Sabbath...much less dealing with an unclean dead body.  The friends sat around and mourned.  It was all they could think of to do.  Their lives would never be the same.

     Those unexpected tragedies.  How do we go on?  Why do they happen?  No one knows why they occur.  It would be foolish to even try and guess.  But they do.  No one is immune from them.  It has happened since the beginning of time, and Adam and Eve ate that fruit.  That act of disobedience ushered sin in the world, and we have had to deal with death, tragedy and heartache ever since.
How depressing and sad we would be if that was the end of it.  How utterly distressed would our friends in the scenerio be if that was the end of the story....but it was not!

      We know that the three friends who went to prepare Jesus' body came back with news that would change mankind forever.  They had news that would change the outcome of countless individuals' lives for eternity.  The news that Jesus was no longer dead opened the doors of Heaven for them...and for us.

     It gave the friends something their ancestors had only dreamed of...it gave them hope.  Hope for a future and a promise.  Hope for everlasting life with Jesus in Heaven.  The same hope that we hold on to when tragedy comes knocking on our door.  It is the hope that God has a plan.  He has a purpose for us, and can use the tragedies in our lives in a positive way.  What Satan meant for evil, God can turn to goodness.  Will we always be happy when unexpected things knock us over?  Of course not, but we can know in our hearts, that God is with us through the bad times.  We can lean on Him and trust that our loved ones are in His Hands.  He never stops loving us...He always has His Arms open to hold us close.

Darkest Before The Dawn

                                            
     I hate the dark.  At times, it almost puts me in a panic to be in complete darkness.  I remember being a kid, and feeling so anxious if there wasn't some sort of nightlight, or source of light around me.  Perhaps it is because of my eyesight.  If I'm in a dark, unfamiliar area I get very uneasy.
     Ironically, if I know the layout of where I am, I'm not as nervous. I can usually find what I'm looking for pretty easily.  Knowing where you are makes a big difference.
     In the time between the crucifixion and the resurrection, Jesus knew where He was.  His body was physically dead, but His spirit was very much alive.  Where was He?  According to Ephesians and 1 Peter, Jesus went into the 'depths of the earth' or 'Hades' to speak to those who were imprisioned.  Who was that?  No one can know for sure.  Some think it was the people of Noah's time...others think it was those who died around the time of the crucifixion.  Irregardless, Jesus knew where He was. 
     The 'depths of the earth'.  Can you imagine the darkness that surrounds that place?  The pitch-black chasm is darker than a coal miners cavern.  In that obscure area, a small ray of light begins to permiate the ebony abyss.  The Spirit of God illuminates the area, and Jesus reveals Himself to those who had turned a blind eye to the Heavenly Father.
     Do you know where you are?  Do you know where Jesus is?  He is standing at the darkened door of your heart, knocking. Don't turn a blind eye to Him.  Open the door and let the Light in.