Life can be painful. Life does not appear to be concerned with happiness. Life can be brutal, cruel, and confusing. A simple SMS went out asking about another’s day. It was the kind of connection that friends have where the answer is preordained. Everything is fine. Everything went well. Even things that were not so good are wrapped up in a “life is ok” wrapper.
The answer was not so simple. A friend has passed. One could have expected it but he did not. The funeral was in two hours. Update to follow.
I am still thinking about the candor, a new widow, and two young children that will struggle to remember their father. In this case, the one concludes that life was cruel. On many occasions the cruelty is self-inflicted. In both situations, it is the innocents that pay the greatest price.
There are three observations that a wisdom father made about this type of situation. “Shouldn’t this break your hearts? Shouldn’t it bring you to your knees in tears? Shouldn’t this person and his conduct be confronted and dealt with?” (1 Corinthians 5.2)
Even as the news clicked in, I realized my heart was aching. Aching for a friend. Hurting for a family that I have never met. Part of me wanted to shut this out. My heart knew that the emotions come with living.
I had the opportunity to let God know my heart and to hear Divinity’s voice. In this situation, in the midst of my tears I could feel Divinity’s tears. The God I know hates death. Being honest with God gives Divinity the opportunity to respond. Anything else short-changes both parties.
Being engaged with life is messy. For now, it was standing by in support knowing that there was little that one could do more. Sometimes, it is holding a friend accountable. On other occasions, it is getting involved in ways one never imaged.
The answers do not always come immediately. Sometimes they take time. In the interim, one can stay present, ready for the opportunities that will show themselves.
