Wednesday, October 09, 2019

Joy Comes in the Morning

"Weeping endures for the night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5 (last part).  So many of my family members and friends have endured deep, shattering loss lately.  My heart hurts for them as they navigate the aftermath that can threaten to overwhelm at any given moment.  This text can be taken literally and figuratively.  The night and the morning can mean the here and now, or it can mean the here and the hereafter.

When my father passed away, the only consolation was the morning--not the next morning, the morning after, but the Resurrection morning, the Reunion morning.  Several of the losses have been parents or siblings.  This morning's was a long ago friend who bravely fought cancer for a few decades but has finally taken a rest from her labors and is awaiting that great getting up morning.

Loss can overwhelm us if we have nothing more to look forward to.  Loss can all but take us down without the great power of Salvation.  Maya Angelou reminds us that "we need joy as we need air.  We need love as we need water."  Thank God that His Love can overcome all and bring Joy in the morning--if not tomorrow, then certainly on the Resurrection Morning.

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