Celebration of Life

You may remember my posts this time last year about a sweet young woman named Meredith who battled colon cancer at such a young age of 25. (click on these links to read the first post and second post). Today is the one year anniversary of her death, but as her family notes in their Caring Bridge blog entry, it is really the one year anniversary of her victory over death as she is now enjoying the fullness of eternal life with Jesus.

I encourage you to read the blog entry that her parents wrote today as they reflect on the pain that is still so real with faith that is just as real. Her story still brings me to tears, yet it is a beautiful picture of the hope and life that can only be found in Jesus. Where else is there such security and promise?

As I think of the peace that Meredith's family has even in the midst of such pain, I am reminded of God's promises in Isaiah 61:

"to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair."

This is not an empty promise. In Luke 4, Jesus reads from this same passage and says, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." In Jesus we have all these things - beauty for ashes, gladness instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. Does it make pain less real? No. But it offers hope in the victory we have in Him who conquered death so that we could live. Here and for eternity.