49 years ago tomorrow in Dallas, Texas, I married the love of my life.
God gave us 37 wonderful years together.
I do not pretend that I will ever be able to comprehend the sovereignty of God. But I have made peace with it. I remind myself that suffering and loss is not unique to me. It's the destiny of every human being who has walked this earth.
I find courage to keep going because of Jesus. It takes tremendous courage to love when we are broken by life. But love becomes more authentic when it grows out of brokenness.
The book of Revelation says it plainly: God will wipe away our tears and heal our brokenness. Becky's homegoing reminds me that heaven is my true destiny, however wonderful life on earth may seem to be. Hence we meet the challenge of the loss of a loved one with hope and faith. We are even enlarged by that loss, and our knowledge of God increases intimately.
Yes, our loss has diminished us. But it has also expanded us. Loss can even transform us if we let it. I have a sense that the story that God is writing in my life, he will finish. And the story will be good.
Becky's death from cancer remains, as always, a horrible experience. But it was, and will remain, the means by which I gained a deeper awareness of God's amazing grace.