A Living Hope

Easter 2023 marks the fifth Easter since my mom went to Heaven. It is the 20th Easter since my sister went to Heaven. To borrow from an old song whose title and writer have long since been forgotten, "Heaven must be a very happy place, my" mom and sister are there. 

It's interesting, on this day of celebration and hope, how my heart still aches. The hope is there, but unrealized. Not quite like "Silent Saturday" where the promised hope of the resurrection was completely misunderstood. I know I will be reunited with my mom and sister, my grandparents, my babies, and all those who have gone before. The hope is there. But the joy of reunion is not. The joy is in anticipation. But right now, I still grieve. 

Death is a funny thing. We all deal with it. We all lose parents. At some point, we will likely lose siblings and a spouse (for those who are married). As many as 40% of women who get pregnant experience pregnancy loss, though official numbers are between 15-20%. Everyone is touched by death in some way, but we don't like to talk about it, unless it is in support groups or other "appropriate" settings. And grieving? That can only happen within a very prescribed (and abbreviated) timeframe. If you're still sad after that window (which may be as brief as a few weeks or months, depending on the loss) people begin to wonder if you're okay. That could be the focus of a whole new blog, actually... but not now. 

The real beauty of Easter is what it means for all of us touched by death. In children's terms, Jesus came alive again and He makes other people come alive, too! We do grieve, but not as those who have no hope. We can comfort each other with reminders of what we have to look forward to (1 Thess 4:13-18). Some day, in God's perfect timing, we will be reunited with those who have gone before. Our tears will be wiped away (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 21:4) and we will never be separated again.

The hope we have in Easter, through the resurrection of Jesus, isn't the shallow or limited hope we tend to think of. It is a living hope that defies logic, common sense, or reason. It is a living hope we can hold onto in the midst of darkness. It is the hope that makes space for my tears and longing without threat or fear, because it is a hope that will be realized one day, when Jesus comes back to call His Children home.

I long for that day. Easter is the tangible reminder and promise that it will come.