Loved but not lost
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
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Straight to the Cross
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COLUMN: REALITY CHECK
Loved but not lost
by Stan Mitchell
tinyurl.com/8tcvsx9
"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and
after that comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27, ESV).
The poet A.H. Tennyson had lost a dear friend when he
wrote "In Memoriam."
The poem traces his struggle with suffering, death and
faith in God. Our loss is real, and our questioning of
God is legitimate, but look for a moment at what he
says about the balance of having loved and lost:
I hold it true, whate're befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most,
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
Yes! You miss that one whom you loved. But what if you
had never known that person, never seen his or her
compassion, sense of humor, or felt their touch or
their love? What if you had never known and loved that
person?
You would have been far, far more impoverished!
I sometimes catch myself doing something and wondering
what my mother, Donna Mitchell, would have thought. I
miss her.
But what if my father had been a single father raising
four kids? With no disrespect to him, we all would have
been much less than we are now! As children we were
immeasurably blessed to have had her strong, quiet
influence.
I think of my eighteen-year-old friend Paul Robinson,
struck down in a motorbike accident. He was a year
older than I, a Christian of barely six months
(thankfully).
It seems sad to think of a life struck down so soon,
but I'm glad I knew him, and I'll never forget the
freshness of a new Christian discovering spiritual
truths for the first time. He was zealous and warm and
an encouragement to those of us who had grown up in the
church.
My point is this: Though all of us will die one day,
and though each of us will lose friends and loved ones
to death in the meantime, the gift is that God gave us
life, and that we can learn to love and appreciate
those around us.
Thank God for the good people whom you have loved and
lost. Also thank God for those who are still around
you, and take the opportunity to tell them how much you
love and appreciate them.
The tragedy is not losing a friend to death; the
tragedy is losing the chance to express your
appreciation for them while it will still do them good!
----
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tinyurl.com/8tcvsx9
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