Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
Psalms 119:90
Life is full of contrast. These rhythms are woven deep into the nature of our world. There is no gain without loss. There is no victory without defeat. There is no hope without suffering. There is no spring without winter. Our days are set up this way. A morning and an evening, a sunrise and a sunset. The very air we breathe in to sustain our life we must breath out again. Attempting to continuously inhale will result in the same fate as an endless exhale. It must be in and out and in and out again. Our hearts work the same way. In and out and in and out again. Somehow, we know each experience more deeply by also knowing its opposite.
This beautiful mystery sits at the very heart of our faith as well. Death and Resurrection. You can’t have one without the other. But, the gospel inserts the most marvelous amendment to this vicious cycle. The death and resurrection of Jesus tells us that the worst possible outcome doesn’t have to be the final outcome. Death does not get the final say. Only Life has that power. That is God’s way; the cross proves it.
We all need reminders. The more we allow the promise of resurrection to invade our day to day, the more we will see the faithful heart of the Father on our mountain tops and in our valleys. It’s interesting how easily we forget the faithfulness of God in the face of adversary. Sometimes I picture the Lord whispering through a gentle smile, “I’ve gotten you this far haven’t I…”
the longer the journey / the more I remember / moments of rescue / years of relentless love / O how You never give up
out of the ashes / there’s resurrection