"Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” - Nehemiah 8:10
My wife and I were in Michigan just a week ago today. We were there for the funeral of our niece's mother-in-law. While we were there, we slept in our grandniece's bedroom. That's where I noticed this bag, hung on a doorknob.
The image on the bag looked familiar so I took a picture of it. I had seen this same heart picture in a documentary film about suicide called Absence/Presence'. Strange that I would be seeing it on that day.
Later, during the funeral service, I received a text from my sister-in-law with an urgent "please call me" message for us. My wife excused herself and called her sister. The news wasn't good. Our niece was dead.
What's that saying? It never rains, but it pours. Yeah.
But now I can understand the meaning of the movie's title. Even though our loved ones are absent from us, they are still present with us in our hearts. Absence . . . presence.
The pastor's words at the funeral suddenly carried new meaning with the news of our niece's passing. Double meaning. And the verse for today contains the key for all of us as we continue to heal from the pain.
The JOY of the Lord is our STRENGTH.
Is it possible to be joyous in the midst of death? The only way we can truly do that is if we ourselves are IN Christ. If we truly are followers of Jesus, we will find a way to be both sorrowful and joyous at the same time.
Our niece was a follower of Christ. So was the lady whose funeral we are attending. There is hope then, in Christ. The Apostle Paul stated that very absence/presence hope that we ALL should have.
"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." - 2 Corinthians 5:8
Amen to that!
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