This morning, at exactly 6:30 a.m., I awoke very suddenly out of an incredibly vivid and painful dream, in which 2 very dear friends of mine had both passed away.
In the first part of my dream, a friend of mine whose health has given her more grief than anyone I know, suddenly began seizing, fell over, turned blue and then died right in front of me. While I was grieving with someone else who had also loved her dearly, I received a phone call from one of my best friend on the West Coast to tell me that her youthful husband had passed, leaving her 3 toddlers to care for.
This death was even more excruciating and unexpected. He is only in his early 30’s and has an incredible, virtuous, loving family to care for. I wept so violently with my dear friend over the loss of her husband, who is not only one of the world’s best husbands and fathers, but also friends. And I recalled my own fears, when my kids were that age. I recall thinking that if my kids happened to lose either of their parents at a young age, that their hearts would likely become embittered towards God, and how I could (and still can’t) think of nothing more devastating or painful than to live a life where Christ is not one’s greatest Treasure. Most mothers, in that circumstance, probably worry more about how they will care for, support, comfort, etc. their kids. I don’t think that thought crossed my mind much because it paled in comparison with the thought of my kids hating God.
In both of these dreams, everything was so real and vivid. Neither of these were imaginary friends either, as can sometimes happen in dreams. These are both actual people that I am very close with. Both of them also love Jesus.
Upon waking up, the first thought was a verse out of the Psalms, that says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (116:15). My heart flooded with peace. Not because my friends were both still alive. I’m not even sure that thought had occurred to me yet. But because I suddenly had Perspective.
For those of you who are believers in Christ, I hope that this knowledge is not new to you, but even so, if it is… One of the main goals of the Christian life and of the Scriptures themselves, is that we would perpetually do what the Bible calls being “renewed by the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23). Colossians 3:2 also tells us to “set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth”.
We hold this sacred treasure, full of ancient words, breathed out from the beginning of time, by an ever-loving Creator, Who upholds all things by the word of His power, and so often, we have to dust it off. Oh how guilty I can sometimes be, of spending a day thinking only of the ordinary things, when at my fingertips, there is a sacred Book meant to give me glimpses of the Eternal, where all of my Hope lies.
There is a bumper-sticker on our school bus (one that we didn’t actually put there), that says “Jesus gives you peace”. So does His word, His perspective. When we begin to see things the way He does, well then, even the death of His godly ones becomes precious!
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