A loss to COVID

On Christmas eve, I received news that my great uncle had died. His death was contributed to COVID among other health concerns. This was the first family member to my knowledge that has passed from this horrible virus. My emotions have been all over the place with this news, partly because of the timeliness of this news right before Christmas, also because of the loss that he experienced with the passing of his wife and two children. I know that he has suffered emotionally with those losses. But there is another emotional unrest, in that it has caused me to reflect again on my Grandfather's passing nearly 6 years ago.

I've reflected on Psalm 130 during this time. My reflection has come from verses 5 and 6. "I wait for the Lord; I wait and put my hope in his word. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning— more than watchmen for the morning." The repetition of waiting on the Lord and asking how long. How long do we have to continue discussing and talking about this virus that has taken so much from so many. I think many of us thought this would have been over by now. But yet here we are knocking on the doors of 2021 and we are still asking, how long?

My only encouragement is to keep steadfast in the Word and do what David does in verse 5 put "my hope in his word". As things fade around us it is God's Word that reminds us that "the grass withers and the flowers fade but the word of the Lord stands forever". Certainly their are things that are fading around us but we must take our comfort in God's word as a source of sustaining life.

Yes the news of my uncle is sad and bad but there is hope. The comfort I take refuge in, is knowing that he had surrendered his life to Jesus earlier in life. And that now his suffering is no more, he has been welcomed into his eternal home, where he will be united with family and will be in the presence of Jesus forever. Isn't that worth celebrating? It sure is