Saturday, January 18, 2014

On the Second Day

We talk about Good Friday, and Jesus being crucified on the cross.  We talk about Easter, and Jesus being raised from the dead.  But what happened on the second day?  That dark, desperate day in between...

The day second day after my dad died was one of those days where I woke up, exhausted, and dehydrated.  My tears had drained me of nourishment and energy.  I wanted to wake up and find it was a dream.  I still couldn't believe I wouldn't hear my dad's voice or laugh again here on earth.  

On the second day after my dad died, we made the trip back to my hometown.  I hugged my mom and my sister, my grandma and my cousins, aunts and uncles.  The pain in my stomach had turned into an emptiness.  Slowly, the reality was setting in.  The finality of it all was becoming clear.

On the second day after my dad died, I watched Evie try to cheer people up, try to process how quickly her world had changed.  We had just seen my dad the week before, and he was fine; he was grandpa.  Now, suddenly, he was gone, as was a piece of Evie's security in this world.  

On the second day after my dad died, I thought about Christ on the cross, and the promise that it gave me to see my dad again.  Someday...but when...?

I think the second day may have been quite similar for Jesus's friends, family, and followers.  They woke, they cried, they hugged, and wished.  On the second day they hurt, they healed, they wondered, and they thought.  

On the second day, they hoped; as we all hope, for that future when we will see our loved ones again.  We have faith in God's promise that Christ was sufficient and has the power to save us all.  We have love eternal which lives on after us; because God first loved us.

Hope, faith, and love; on the second day, and for each day forward, until we meet again...

8 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry for your loss. Hope, faith and love - so important to get through each day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Robyn, we need all three to get us through life in this world. :)

      Delete
  2. Whenever we lose a parent we think we have lost part of ourselves as they have been with from the beginning but in fact there is a part of them with us always that makes us what we are. So it is with our children too as they will have a piece of us and our parents too and hope someone will say "you are just like your father (or mother)" and you can wear that thought with pride.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sooooo much like my dad, it is frightening. :) And I see so much of me in Evie as well. And I love passing on our "grandpa" and "grandma" "isms" and hearing Evie say them just like they would. Legacy is a wonderful thing.

      Delete
  3. What an interesting and thoughtful analogy..most touching was picturing Evie..I hope that each day brings another wonderful memory of your dad

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Jae Rose! We have lots of great memories, that is for sure.

      Delete
  4. Oh yes, and there's no doubt, like the stone was rolled away and the grave left empty, that you will see your dad again! My dad is gone, too, but even now he is still teaching me, and with every new thing about him and about me that I understand now and didn’t before, sadness and happiness both come over me - I’m sorry Dad and Thank you Dad - and now I see that it couldn’t have been any other way for us anyway, and it’s mostly just Thank you!…and no doubt you are feeling that too, that there is no separation, not then, not now : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! You and I have very similar philosophies. :)

      Delete