The beginning not the end

Saturday night I heard the worst news anyone can imagine. One of our best employees and one of the best people I know tragically died in a car accident. Jody Purcell was a beautiful person. Her beauty was not just on the outside, she was beautiful on the inside too. She was a Christian who loved the Lord with all of her heart. She was always smiling and always optimistic. She was young, attractive, smart, and liked by all who knew her. She excelled in everything she did and had a promising career. She was very attractive and would have made a wonderful wife and mother, but it was not to be.

I went to church Sunday with Jody’s death weighing heavily on my mind.
We had special music yesterday and the song we heard was written by one of the group that sang it. He talked about the words of the song prior to singing it. The song was about a verse in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” His timely comments sum up what many of Jody’s friends are struggling with right now. How could any “good” come out of the death of this beautiful young person? First and foremost we must understand that we serve a purpose in our existence. It is God’s purpose not our own. We are not privy to the details. Perhaps her death will draw others closer to God; perhaps the three boys who crossed the median and crashed head on into her car and will now be charged with vehicular homicide will change their lives; perhaps Jesus has finished “preparing a place” for her and cannot wait to show Jody her mansion in heaven; perhaps it is all of the above and then some, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps… We do not know, only God knows for sure.

My brother struggled with the death of his five year old son for years.
What good could possibly come out of that? In the end we do not know the purpose of my brother’s son’s death. Someone stated that heaven could not be wonderful without children being present and perhaps that is the reason. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…
It is hard to understand good coming out of an innocent child’s death, especially when one considers that his son’s death was not an easy death, rather a prolonged slow agonizing pain filled brain cancer that unmercifully ebbed on for months of suffering and pain. My brother got mad at God over this and stayed mad for years. What he did not realize and I could not explain to him was that God loved that little boy too and He loved my brother with a love that we cannot comprehend. God knows what it is like to have a Son die an agonizing slow pain-filled death. He sent Jesus to die a horrible death in order that we might live. God understands the grief that we go through when something like this happens and He is there to help us through it. Death was brought into the world through sin. If we must be angry, we should point our anger towards sin and satan, not towards God. Jody understood this concept very well.

I can only speak to what I know. I know that God loves Jody with all of His heart, and Jody loves the Lord with all of her heart. I speak of Jody in the present tense, because she is alive and is in heaven at this very moment. I know that her death is the beginning and not the end. I know that she is with Jesus now in heaven and will be with him for eternity. Why He called her at this particular time rather than allowing her to live a full life on earth will just have to remain a mystery for now; however I believe that one day it will become clear. We will miss Jody, but those who are Christians will one day reunite with her and other Christians who have gone to meet the Lord before her. In the big scheme of things it will only be a whisper of time until we too are called upon to meet the Lord. Our purpose will have been served, and we will be called to our eternal home. When we go through the pearly gates of heaven and walk down streets of gold by the river of life with its crystal clear water, I have no doubt that we will once again see Jody’s beautiful smile as she welcomes us to our new home. It is not the end when a Christian dies, it is only the beginning and after ten thousand years, it will still have just barely begun. Grieve her as you would grieve someone who has departed for a trip. We will miss her, but we look forward to seeing her again. Please do not get mad at God over this, I can assure you that is not what Jody would want.

Psalm 23:4
Yea though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of
death,
I will fear no evil;
For you are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my
enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of
the Lord
Forever.

How well do you know the Bible?
The Bible teaches us not to love the world or the things in the world.
It states that all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. It goes on to describe the fate of the world and its lusts versus he who does the will of the Father. What is the ultimate fate of both?
1 John 2:15-17


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