Confirmation
2 Corinthians 5:1-5: For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
This morning I read passage after passage waiting on the Lord to show me where to land for today’s devotion. The theme kept repeating itself over and over again as I read various Scriptures and different writer’s devotions. That theme was God’s promise of eternity.
Today is Memorial Day. Today we remember and celebrate those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom…and so we should. The truth is that every one of those who gave their lives was someone’s child and their death left behind unimaginable heartache for those who loved them.
This day is especially hard for any parent who has lost a child. We understand the ongoing pain and anguish of such a loss. Our children fight many battles–wartime battles, cancer battles, drug addiction battles, mental illness battles, and the list goes on. And often these battles take the lives of those we love. And so we grieve.
But we do not grieve without hope. God makes it clear that to leave this earthly tent means we shed the groaning flesh we call our body and exchange it for the glorious eternal body awaiting us in heaven. It is true–in this life we do groan and we are burdened. But when we exchange our tent made of flesh for the tent we have waiting in the spirit, we leave all burdens behind. We will finally know the inexpressible joy God created us for. We will finally be free of fear and sorrow. What was once mortal–subject to decay and death–will be swallowed up in true life!
So while we remember and through our grief we can see ahead the joy God has waiting for us. We can endure the night knowing the morning is coming. We can live in hope.
