Who Shall Separate Us From The Love Of Christ?

This week, Barb and I attended the funeral services of a two and a half year old little boy that we knew through our youngest daughter, Annie. I've been to a hundred of funerals before and never been affected quite like this before.

Looking down at that precious little boy caused a "flood" of emotions to come over me, and I am sure, everyone in the place (I have a granddaughter and grandson right at that age). Because as "finite" humans beings, all we know to do is ask "WHY"? And as a pastor, I am NEVER surprised to find that there are not any real answers to that question, this side of paradise. After all, our spiritual logic does not reach far enough to grasp the love of God as we stare into the casket of a two year old child.

What purpose was there in this little boy's death last week? Where do we "surmise" that "ALL things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28)? How does a Mother grasp the "Love of God" at a moment like this? See, these are the questions that people have and we just cannot give "logical" answers, so we try to console the best way that we know how but there are never words that make sense. I don't know why that little boy's life was cut short but I also don't know why people have to suffer through unbearable pain with diseases that are killing them each and every day.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written,FOR THY SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height,nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"(Romans 8:35-39).

When I don't know how to answer tough questions such as the loss of a child so young, or disease that is eating away at a body which will eventually take that person's life, I know that I can turn to this passage of scripture, even though it is hard to understand, that there is NOTHING that can separate me from the love of God. His Word proclaims it.

So what is this young mother to do? Right now, her purpose IS to grieve right down to the very "core of her being", the loss of this little child, for this is the normal process of death. Mary stood at the foot of Jesus' cross and grieved for her Son's life as she watched it pass away right in front of her. This mother will have sleepless nights thinking about her son and all of the things that may have been done differently to prevent this terrible tragic accident. And someday she will begin to see vision of her son in his life and not in his death and cherish those memories. But the truth is that God is still in control and someday (if it even matters at the time), an answer will be given that will satisfy. And so she waits!

I remember saying to a good friend shortly before his untimely death with cancer: "When we come to the edge of all the light we know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen; either there will be something solid to stand on, or we will be taught how to fly!"

I pray that this young mother can just hang on to save her own sanity but more than that, I pray that she will allow God to permeate her heart to such an extent that she can find the peace that He wants her to have.

Dave