No Sorrow. No Pain.

 

It was All Saints' Day on Sunday.  I was sitting in Sunday Service at church, enjoying the view of the packed pews from the balcony.   We had been running a few minutes behind schedule because the parking lot was PACKED.  We ended up parking just down the street and running into church.  We couldn’t snag our usual seat in the front (because if we did that, over a hundred people would know we were late, instead of just the two dozen folks in the balcony).  I was just happy to be there, surrounded by our church family.  I kind of liked the different view.

There were candles lit in memory of those from our church family who passed on to Heaven, this year.  We took a moment of quiet reflection where I of course thought of my high school classmate and friend, Amy.  I prayed for her fiancé and her family, and decided to just shut off my feelings for a minute so I didn’t start tearing up. 

That plan didn’t work.  I read the list of the baptized and started thinking of my friend Heidi, whose children were just baptized right here in our church.  Heidi’s fiancé passed away this year also.

Ugh, I hate when I can’t stop feeling things.  Usually I have better control, but this one was out of my hands.

Before I knew it we were singing the same song we sang at Amy’s Funeral, “In Christ Alone”.

Just like at Amy’s funeral, the tears just poured and poured.  My husband reached over and put his arm around me, just like he did when we sang for Amy.

Sometimes doing real life is just.so.hard.  I wished I had just stayed home and listened to the service on the radio.  At least then I wouldn’t be ugly-crying in front of people.

Trying to cheer me up, he points down to the pews where we see a grandma holding her granddaughter.  The grandma is singing to her and swaying to the music.  The granddaughter is all smiles, full of JOY.

Then we sang this

 “From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.”

I look again at the grandma and her grandbaby.

 YES, God. Now I know why the parking lot was full and the pews packed.  All but these two front rows of the center balcony were just waiting for us.  You knew as I tried to sing that song, how deeply I would need to see the little babies; the older crowd adorned with gray and white hairs, and everyone in between.  .

I remember how these next lyrics impacted me back in February and I’ve thought of them often ever since:

“No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.”

 

Later in the service the choir sang the most beautiful version of “I Will Rise” that I have ever heard.

All day I kept thinking of those lyrics too:

“And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise”

 

No sorrow.  No Pain.  Yes.

We can find our perfect resting place with God.  And once we’re committed, no one can pluck us from His hand.

Okay it is now 1 am, which is really like 2 am because of the time change.  I’m going to finish processing these thoughts in bed as I drift off to sleep, I just wanted to get some of it out there because that's how I operate.  ♥