This piece of writing comes with the sorrow of life on earth without someone close any longer. When death comes and your new reality is shaken to a degree that its hard to even receive it as real. You find out what your anchor is. You find out what your heart has in it. Yes you find out who you are. The world goes on and so will those on earth. The majority on earth will be unaware of the wound your heart has received. Many will be uncaring that it is. All of this will move you, and alter you if you are not anchored. The world and the enemy within it will look for these moments of weakness to hit you when you are wounded. This is intended for evil but God allows it for good.
It is written that in our weaknesses he is made strong. Despite being hurt I must still love. Have compassion for others and their hurts. My pain doesn’t dismiss the fact others exist in theirs. This idea was foreign to me. Actually living the opposite with far less hurt in me at one point but great selfishness there. Great offense. Yet in fact loving in spite of self is what following Christ looks like. Being anchored in him.
If we resist this, then we will surely find ourselves in offense. Surely finding ourselves in emotions without any form of control. The danger of feeling we have the right to be offended due to pain or hurts. This is dangerous because without self control and without an anchor, life can serve you a dish of rotten eggs. Those rotten eggs will be forced to be eaten and you will be in pain when finished. This is life in the flesh. No-one can avoid this. No amount of anti social behavior or desire to not care can keep anyone away from this reality of life. It is the one thing regardless of who you are, we all have in common. That is flesh death.
The pain and sorrow of loosing a loved one that was close is a feeling that until you experience it you will never know who you truly are. I say this because it is the deepest pain and hurt you can feel. It is the most helpless feeling you can experience. It changes you. It has the power to change you for better or worst. Your anchor must be Christ. Christ is who keeps you the same even through this unique pain. Christ is who keeps you the same even when you are enduring this pain and another pain shows up to compound. Only Christ can be this anchor.
It is written as Christ told us. There was a man that built his house on sand and all was well until the storm came. The storm came and washed that home away. Then there was a man that built his house on a solid foundation and when the storms came and beat on the house it remained. This is the story of humankind that have a relationship with Christ and those that have a relationship with their own idea of a good character. Only a relationship with Christ can withstand any storm. We see many storms going on throughout the world. Many are being blown here and there by these serious storms. I hope all that read this have, or are seeking the anchor of Christ.
Let us have grace and compassion for where all are in their path to this. But let us have a sense of urgency as I have seen how short life can be. How there is no promise of tomorrow.
I share this piece with pain and sorrow in the passing of my big brother Stephen. From witnessing his last breath, to doing his eulogy, it still doesn’t feel real. But it is.
Birthdays will not be the same anymore as we were born one year and one day apart. My birthday twin. Sports will not be the same anymore as our talks about those Cowboys he was a fan of and the Giants whom I am fan of always kept good rival sports talk between us. Now I have no desire to celebrate a birthday or watch football anymore. Among many other things that out-way those I have a wound. A wound yes. Yet my Father says his grace is sufficient. He will not remove this wound but has allowed it so that in this weakness I will always remember to lean on him, for in that he is made strong.
Life and death are the twins that are not identical but are forever tied together. With that said, true life in Christ is separated. It stands alone. It is the anchor that grounds the faith. It has defeated death, and has removed its sting. Fear of it cannot reside with the joy of knowing you have eternal life in Christ. I hope we all remember our anchor daily in life. Without it we are all adrift in a sea of this flesh life blown about wherever it sends us. May the peace of Christ and the comfort of the Holy Spirit be with all who believe during these last days.
In loving memory of my big brother Stephen. In Christ, rest peacefully.
I shall love you forever.
09/25/1981 – 07/31/2020
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