A snowy day journal entry

 

A snowy day journal entry 

God has given us the ability to hold both joy and sorrow simultaneously.

More often than not, we tend to lock Joy and sorrow into two separate compartments. The problem with that, is by looking at one without the other, we find ourselves stuck seeing only a portion of the whole story, a portion of this broken world becoming healed. 

You see, when we look at grief on its own, we fail to see that God is in fact, healing the world through the work of Jesus. We fail to see that he is making things beautiful and turning darkness into light. On the other end, when we live as if joy is the only reality, we banish all thoughts of grief, and in turn, we become blind to the brokenness in both ourselves and in the world. We forget how much we have been rescued from, and we ignore the fact that we still are in desperate need of healing. 

We shouldn’t be surprised when we find traces of pain in joy or beauty in sorrow, for these are simply an example of what it is like to live in a broken world that is being redeemed.

The cross itself is the ultimate example of this beautiful web of sorrow and joy.

Jesus experienced the truest and deepest of sorrows, dying a gruesome and lonely death, in order to absorb the entirety of God’s wrath toward evil in our place. “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelations 5:12) Somehow, this gruesome and tragic event (the event of Christ’s crucifixion) is the very thing God uses to redeem history, reconcile sinners to himself, and heal each and every aspect of the world he created. We were not made to know death or pain or loss, and the cross guarantees that one day, all of creation will be restored to its rightful design.

Jesus’ death and resurrection guarantee this promise from Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

That day we will only know the reality for which we were created, the reality of joy no longer laced with grief. 

Just some thoughts :)