Dear Friends,
We are emotional, spiritual, and relational creatures. Thus, whether we are more inclined to take a clinical posture and approach to life or whether we are guided more by intuition, we know what it means to feel life’s difficulties. To feel life’s difficulties is to take a step beyond rational and intellectual comprehension and to sense what the present circumstances mean in the grander scheme of our personal narrative and, even, life itself.
Each of us comprehends and experiences what it means and feels like to be burdened by life’s challenges. Such awareness naturally leads us to a place of deeper compassion, as we empathize with the pain of others. Following Christ’s example, the church teaches us how to love one another through every stage of life. As it is written in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Such is the example that Christ provides in Matthew 11 when he says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Recently, our church has experienced the grief of losing two beloved members, Diane Krstolic and Sam Eskew, who have now entered eternal life. Together, as the community of faith, we will carry these burdens for one another. And, as we do, let us not forget to return the burden of our collective grief to God’s never-failing care.
In the light of Resurrection hope,
Jon
