Dying and Rising Along the Journey of Faith

Well, you will notice that it's not yet the 24th. And no, I haven't finished my Research Methods class. And yes, I'm supposed to be writing that Research paper today... but...

As of yesterday, my daughters are in Texas. So I woke up at 7:30, and I'm sitting here at the kitchen table with the screen door open, listening to the wind rustling through the trees, and soaking in the brilliant morning sunlight.

I pulled out a book that Jim gave me to read awhile, back-- Silence, Solitude, Simplicity: A Hermit's Love Affair with a Noisy, Crowded, and Complicated World by Sister Jeremy Hall. Will this book likely join the litany of half-read "must reads" on my nightstand? Maybe, but I was encouraged this morning by these thoughts...

The journey of faith must hold together both dying and rising. “For most of us, I suspect, the dying is a matter of experience; the rising, both daily and ultimately, is a matter of faith.”

If you are like me, you feel the daily twinge of death. Devastation on the evening news; a harsh and painful conversation; a pulled muscle or ache that wasn’t there yesterday; a holding onto bitterness or unforgiveness; refusal to acknowledge pain leading to numbness of soul…signs of death.

We (I!) sometimes forget that resurrection is not just for heaven, but for today. By resurrection, I don’t just mean that one day we will be with Jesus. But that resurrection happens daily for the believer. A rising hunger to cry out for His presence; A growing compassion for the hurting; A sense of humility in the face of heartache; A boldness in loving a difficult person… little pieces of the resurrection.

Simone Weil, a brilliant Jewish woman who died during WW II, said that the Cross was enough for her; the Resurrection was her stumbling block. Though she loved the Bible, the sacraments, and the person of Jesus, she would never be baptized. “But the journey of faith is not a matter of dying only. Suffering alone isn’t enough. We must rise out of that death to newness of life.”

Lord, give us eyes to see the unseen, that we may know joy. May we strive to name and remind ourselves when resurrection happens in small ways in this life. We believe, Lord, help us in our unbelief!