What's so Good About Friday?
I dipped my oars into the cold, inky lake. Beads of water ran down the paddles and into little whirlpools created by each stroke.
My heart slipped down in their wake.
The sun peaked over the dark hills, warming the air around us. Gulls, geese, and perhaps the fish below, felt its greeting. I wanted to feel the hope of this new day. I wanted to sense the excitement of Spring fishing, but like the cloud that came and blocked her rays, I gathered grief with each passing stroke.
I can’t say why I miss my mom. So much of my adult life has been lived without her. Nothing would be different in this moment if she were alive. And yet, I wept.
The solitude seemed to magnify my loss.
Tiny tears gathered on my cheeks just like the water droplets from the oars. And I thought of the reading from Sunday’s Palm service. Jesus wept, too. At the very moment when he rode into Jerusalem and would be recognized as the Christ – the King. Perhaps he knew he would have to face that week alone. Perhaps he sensed the waters stirring down to the depths – and his soul would soon follow.
Sometimes I forget that loss and pain and dark days come to each of us. The challenge isn’t to always wish them away, but to trust God in them and through them.
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.” Micah 7:8
You see, when Jesus faced that day alone – even questioning God if He had forsaken him – he went beyond death and faced a depth we can only imagine: hell. We recognize this Friday as the day the son of God paid the price for sin so that we would never have to face that separation. Never.
‘For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”’ Hebrews 13:5
The sun did come out that morning, warming my face, my bones and even down to my cold, cold toes. Brilliant lights danced across the surface of the lake. It’s a good day to remember his promise. Thank God it’s Friday.
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