Dead Calm, Bone Dry – He Said
avatar

Dead Calm, Bone Dry

Dead Calm, Bone Dry

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. – Ecclesiastes 3:11

The commodore rose to face me. “In as much as you have been found guilty of kidnapping and piracy, the penalty for which is death, it is the judgment of this court that you are to be hanged by the neck until dead. May God Almighty have mercy on your soul.”

Casting a wayward glance in the direction of the gallows, my friend whispered to me, “What say you cheat the hangman?”

“Oh? And how would I do that?” I asked.

“I know some fellers aboard the Flying Dutchman who’d be mighty pleased to make the acquaintance of such a fine corpse.”

“Corpse? Flying Dutchman? What are you talking about?”

“Life and death, heaven and hell – it’s all a matter of longitude and latitude. Right now you’re above the equator, as it were, on the sunny side up. But as soon as your neck snaps you’ll have a whole new perspective on the matter. The thing is, you got ter be careful you don’t get caught in the between.”

“In between what?” I asked.

“Exactly.”

- from Eddie’s novel, Dead Calm, Bone Dry

Ah, that great “in between” – the realm of mystery that lies between our last breath and the gates of Hell or Heaven. We speak of deceased parents watching over us and talk of what lies beyond the grave, but we speak from ignorance. None of us knows. How can we? No one has been and returned. We can only guess at what’s to come.

He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom …

How do we plan for life after death? How do we pack and prepare for an existence hidden behind an impenetrable veil?  This is the question that haunts us as we receive the doctor’s news that our ailment is of a terminal nature.

And yet God has given us hints of what we might expect in this place called eternity. Here are a few.

Relationships endure. We see this in Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus and in the transfiguration of Christ when the disciples recognize Elijah and Moses. Though any speculation about the next realm is risky, the Bible appears to suggest that bonds established on earth extend beyond the grave. Therefore, love, for love lingers long after we’re gone.

Rules matter. God has placed his commands in our heart. Though we may not believe in a heavenly deity, His sense of justice, equality, and fairness drives us to forgive the unforgivable – to act in ways that defy the cannibalistic instincts of our unbridled nature. And if God’s rules are stamped upon our heart, how much more will they be revealed in the age to come?

Reverence is our natural position. In this life we boast of what we’ve accomplished and brag of who we’ll become, but there lies within us a deep sense of reverence for beauty and power. We long for sanctuary and security. This, too, hints at our eternal destiny.

“Careful you don’t get caught in the between,” says my character, Will Shakespeare.

And so I will. I will listen to those dying in Christ and ask why they have hope beyond the grave.

And when pressed for an answer, I will say, “I can’t tell you what comes after my last breath. I can only tell you what I believe. And I believe the dead don’t stay dead.

For those in Christ, that’s Good News.

From the Ashes – She Said
avatar

Only in His time

Only in His time

From the Ashes – She Said

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

It wasn’t something I’d ever dream to have. In fact, we’d given up on ever having grandbabies. Our boys hadn’t chosen to marry or entertain the idea of children. So as we watched other grandparents coo over their grandchildren, we smiled and sighed.

Until this week…when they laid that baby in the bend of my arm, the floodgate opened. I couldn’t stop the tears. The baby stretched and his little hand touched my cheek. You would have never convinced me six years ago, this baby, from this son…would be resting in my arms.

It’s funny how life changes in a heartbeat. From moment to moment we wait and wonder how the path will twist and turn. What does God really have in store?

While Solomon must have experienced a rush of overwhelming realization when God gifted him with wisdom…it must have given him an inkling of understanding about the immenseness of God. We can only guess that, for an instant, Solomon actually “got” eternity and the beauty of things even in the darkest of moments. Beneath the apparent sadness of Ecclesiastes, Solomon was trying to put into words, the vastness of his gift. The amazement in God.

There was a time we wondered if we’d ever see our son again…if we’d ever again experience the joy he’d  brought us, and yet when he returned, the moment was beautiful. Precious to us. Nothing could surpass that feeling until this week. In front of us stood our boy, holding his boy, and in the words of Solomon…no one could fathom what God had done from beginning to end.

We still face rough spots with our boys, but we remain faithful in lifting them before a God who has control of eternity and all the pieces that fall into place getting us there. This week was bittersweet as we rejoiced in the turnaround of one and the stumble of another. Yet in the midst of this, God made it beautiful in its own time. For a moment we understood, as Solomon must have, what it meant to see wonderment rise from the ashes.

I can’t change history, make decisions for others, or even begin to bring about world peace, but for now…I can hold in my arms the promise of the beauty God creates.

During your times of uncertainty and hurt, hold tight to the wisdom and truth found in an omniscient God. He will raise good things from the ashes and eternity will reign…all in its own time.

Cindy  is the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries. She has contributed  to Novel Journey and Novel Reviews, and Christian Devotions. She has written for PML Programs and contributes to the Times-News.net and CBN.com. Her devotions and articles are published weekly in several newspapers across the country. Cindy is the Executive Editor of ChristianDevotions.us and the Devotional Acquisitions Editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She cowrites the He Said, She Said devotions with Eddie Jones and is the coauthor of He Said, She Said: A Devotional Guide to Cultivating a Life of Passion and the author of New Sheets: Thirty Days to Refine You Into the Woman You Can Be.

She is a speaker who teaches and speaks at ladies’ conferences, special events and writers conferences across the country.  Cindy directs Writers ADVANCE! Boot Camp. You can visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com.

Read Cindy’s devotions

* Money from New Sheets is donated to Hope House to help young, pregnant moms choose “life.”

Need to change your husband? Change your sheets. Want to change jobs? Change your sheets. Long for a new life? Just change your sheets. God uses our life experiences to shape us. When the friction of frustration chaffs the skin, God offers us respite and rest. For author Cindy Sproles, sleeping on worn-out sheets meant holding on to the past, but new sheets…new sheets marked a fresh start. The slate wiped clean. Crisp. Fresh. New. With each monumental event in her life, she tossed out the old and ushered in the new with a set of fresh new sheets. From the cheapest muslin to the most expensive Egyptian cotton, she saw how God was shaping her into the woman she needed to be. When the road is tough, veer off and step onto a path that is tried and true. One already walked, already blazed, and already prepared just for you. New Sheets – Thirty Days to Refine You into the Woman You Can Be, is a series of thirty transparent devotions and inspirational thoughts that welcome you, wrap you tight, and snuggle you in encouragement. The next time you long for a change…go for new sheets.

Print version  $5.50    

Kindle version  $3.00