joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes
of mourning and clothed
me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and
not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks
forever!
Psalm 30:11~12
out of tragedy hope springs.
out of despair joy rises.
and sometimes the point of impact
between adversity and blessing,
tragedy and hope,
despair and joy,
is messy.
whether the impact
is definitive or
blurred,
pieces of hearts
and lives and relationships
and illness and
even death itself
can be found scattered
and
shattered
on the ground.
and sometimes
the outcome is
simply not that
for which was prayed.
and His arms gently
enfold the hurting,
His goodness never
failing.
and sometimes
the joy which
rises from the
ashes of despair
comes at a high price.
and sometimes, for one to live
another
must
die.
and that life lost
is deeply mourned.
and sometimes,
in that death,
the very heartbeat
of life lives on as
adversity meets blessing,
tragedy meets hope,
despair meets joy.
and is that not the story of Lent?
was His heart not broken
and wounded and crucified
so we could have a new heart?
His love so passionate
so priceless
so perfect
so pure
was what
held Him to
that cross until
the final heartbeat.
and once the heart
was stilled, it seemed that
adversity, tragedy, and despair
had won.
this point
of impact
must have
seemed oh
so blurred to
His followers.
yet three days later
blessing, hope and joy
rose from out of a
dark tomb as Jesus
was raised from death
to life eternal...
the Lamb at the
center of the Throne.
and because He lives,
we, too, have life.
hearts
made
new.
