“I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”- John 14:18-19
Authors Charles and Janet Morris begin Chapter 3 of Missing Jesus by discussing the drug addition death of their son Jeff at the age of twenty-one. Because Jeff had believed in Jesus, Charles and Janet clung to the hope that some day they’ll see their son in heaven. They believed there was more than meets the eye- in life and in death.
When we believe that Jesus is distant form us, He can seem to get smaller and smaller until He fades from our sight. We need to remember Jesus’ promise that He always is with us and that we will see Him again. We see Him by faith, not by sight. And we are called to live that faith, even when our earthly circumstances seem to contradict everything we believe.
Just as the Morris’ hard days of grief taught them the importance of supportive Christian friends, so too do we need trusted Christian friends to stand alongside us during our journey toward a revisioned and revitalized calling. Our grief still is present, but it is “swallowed up in a great tearful joy.”
Today’s question: What tangible support have Christian friends given you following your ministry downsizing or vocation loss? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “From darkness to light”
