"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and
the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.
And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while
our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the
body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."
1 Corinthians 12:21-26
Very early this morning, my friend Gary lost his 22-year-old son in an automobile accident. As the details of this horrible event unfolded, I wept for my friend, as did many others. I can't even begin to imagine what Gary is going through right now, other than the thoughts and feelings that he has shared on his facebook page. No parent should ever have to bury their child, especially one so young with so much of his life ahead of him.
Throughout the day, many of our mutual friends began posting about Gary's loss, and people who don't even know Gary poured out their prayers of support and comfort for him. And I began to think about something that the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthian church: when one part of the body of Christ suffers, every part suffers with it. For a little while today, Christians all over the country (and around the world from what I could tell), suffered alongside our brother in Christ.
We may all come from various faith traditions and have our doctrinal differences, but our common bond in Christ unites us as one body, and those differences suddenly disappear, especially during times like this. And I believe that is the way it should be. What unites us should always overshadow anything that might divide us. I don't have to know what it feels like to lose my youngest child in order to know what my friend and brother in Christ is enduring. I know the pain and anguish of losing someone very dear, and that is enough to know that he must be going through a living hell right now. And that brings tears to my eyes and a heaviness to my heart.
Life is short and uncertain, and none of us is guaranteed a tomorrow. Never pass up an opportunity to let your loved ones know that they are loved. You never know when the last conversation you had with someone will be your last.
I pray that the God of all comfort will pour out His Spirit of comfort on Gary and his family during this dark valley, and that one day my friend will find peace regarding his loss.
Have a blessed week!
Pastor David
