Vīvere et verērī

To be alive and to be in awe of.

This Latin phrase, to me, is the perfect title to end this series of posts about my grandmaw. The phrase triggers many thoughts in my mind-Life. Reverence. Fear. Joy. Something bigger than myself. Accession. A Promise from my Holy God:

But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"[e]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

The promise of new life. The promise of a new body-incapable of death...only life with Jesus Christ for eternity. To be alive and to stand in awe of! To be in awe of God- The Creator! What a joyful promise! To know that my grandmaw will be made alive and will stand in awe and reverence of God is truly incredible! So, although the end of her life on this earth has happened, I know that this is not even close to the end. She has eternity to spend with our Holy God of Israel.

So, my application: let us rejoice! Rejoice for life and life to come! How GREAT is our God!

This one is for you Maw-Maw! Always missed, Always loved, Always alive in Christ!

Judith Ann Holt 11/28/42-4/2/10


Revelation 21: 1-4

A View From A Different Perspective

So after the Easter service, our family started out to Georgia because the viewing was that night. The drive up to Georgia takes about six hours and is normally pleasant to look out at all the scenery. This drive up this time, however, could best be described as quiet, long, and unnerving. I was not sure exactly what was going to happen at the viewing as I had never been to one before. The uncertainty of the entire situation was growing inside of my mind. My parents began to explain to me what would happen at the viewing and what the purpose of the viewing was. They said that it was a time where I could go up and see my grandmaw one last time if I wanted to and that all of our family would be there to comfort each other.

I was not sure if I really wanted to see my grandmaw while she was dead: it seemed a little odd to me. I was under the impression that the overall mood of the viewing was going to be upsetting, but as i would soon learn, I would leave uplifted.

I had always heard heaven described as a family reunion: a place where all of your beleiving family members would be joined together once again. This image was comforting to think about especially once my grandmaw died. Knowing that some time later, i would see her again face to face was comforting. So what does this have to do with the viewing? Well, when we arrived at the funeral home and made our way into the room where my grandmaw's casket was being held, there was still a great Mount of uncertainty resting in the back of my head.

As the viewing started and family members came into the room, something a strange thiught began to emmerge in my head. All i could think about was that this is what heaven is going to be like. Family members that I had not seen in years or had never met in my life easily approached me and others and we just talked. We talked about funny stories about my grandmaw and we comforted each other. The situation reminded me abiut the passage in Acts as it describes hiw the members of the First Church related with eache other:

" And day by day, continuing stedfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved."

Acts 2:46-47

The viewing for me was like a little glimpse of what heaven may look like. And even though my grandmaw was physically not there, she was still there in a way. My entire family was bonded together during the two hours we were there. God used a situation that i thought was going to be deeply saddening and turned it into the exact opposite.

I have noticed that God tends to use situations that we least expect Him to use. Sometimes we may miss what He is doing in situations like this. It is my hope and prayer for you this week that God shows you His power and love in a way that you would least expect it. Thank you so much for reading!

Revelation 22:20