Finding Hope In A Graveyard

Losing Dad last December was one of the hardest things I’ve had to go through.  That experience put me in the club with many of you who are reading this today.  The club of those who have lost a parent.  The whole experience still seems like a blur but each day I receive a little more clarity and resolution.  Throughout the ordeal I was in what I call “Pastor Mode”.  Keeping my feelings in check and being strong for everyone.  As I look back now I was not strong, but weak.  Without God’s strength and peace I would have been lost.  I wasn’t carrying others, He was carrying me.  With all of that said, I finally had my breakdown moment when I saw my Father’s grave marker.  There, in front of me, the mausoleum confirmed that he is gone.

I praise God, my heavenly Father, for the fact that my earthly father is with Him.  Yes, that is a comfort I share with others who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ.  At times the words, “he is in the place” represented what I knew in my head but did little to comfort my heart in the midst of my grief.  Today as we all approach Easter, the resurrection means even more to me.  I know with every fiber of my being that my Father is in Heaven because of the work of Jesus Christ.

“So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:21-22‬ )

As we approach Easter this year, let us be thankful not only for our salvation through the work of Jesus’ resurrection, but also the hope it gives to us and that we can share with others!  He has Risen!!!!!

In Him,

Pastor James