The Hope We Have

by Julie Lefebure | Mar 30, 2015 | Love God, This Lefe Family

My heart is full. So full, it feels like it could burst.

Full of grief. Full of hope. Full of promise. Full of thankfulness.

This morning we attended another family funeral. This time it was for my uncle, my mom’s brother.

It hit home as I sat in the third pew. All of us who represented his close family were from my generation. Not one was older than my oldest brother.

How can that be?? There has always been someone older than us representing our family. The humbling reality of aging hit me hard in that pew.

As most funerals are, it was emotionally difficult. Cancer destroyed my uncle’s body. I praise God his suffering is over, and I trust he’s in the arms of Jesus today.

Even in death, we can still have hope.

Friend, I don’t know where your faith lies. I don’t know who or what you believe in. I can’t begin to guess any of that. You may not even care about any of that stuff today.

Really though, who likes to think about hard stuff like that, let alone read or talk about it??

But anytime I attend a funeral, it brings back the reality and the importance of what we believe in this life matters for the next.

I grew up not understanding what mattered for eternal life in heaven. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I began to comprehend that “being a good person” wasn’t my key to unlocking the door to heaven. Nor was doing good things. Going to church on Sundays wasn’t either.

When I learned that Jesus suffered for my sake, died on a cross for me, and rose so that I may rise to my heavenly home after my death, that humbled me to my core. How could I not rejoice in this most incredible gift? How could I not accept what Jesus did for me? How could I not follow His teachings in the Bible and put my faith in His Words?

How could I not put my faith in Jesus?

It became so clear to me, as if my eyes were open to see truth for the first time.

If you’re still reading this, I pray you’ve come to that same place. That place of a saving faith in Jesus.

If this life was all there is, how hopeless, how helpless, how discouraged we would be.

But this life isn’t the end. This life is nothing compared to what awaits us in eternity.

Our eyes will close on this earth one day, and when they open we’ll see the face of the One we’ve put our trust in. Jesus. And our suffering, our trials, our sorrows will all be over. We’ll be in His arms, just like I trust my uncle is today.