From Mourning to Dancing

Wow, the weekend is here! I have to first say that if you were wondering if I was quitting the blog, I'm not. It wasn't my intention to miss the past few days, but life sometimes just gets really busy. Know what I mean? But here we go on today's conversation with God.

Let's take our thoughts back to Jesus and his conversation with his disciples on the night he was arrested. He just got through telling them about the constant Friend he would be sending to be with them always (last post). Let's pick up the conversation in John 16:16-33.

Here is the statement that I feel I need to just marinade in a while:

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (v. 33)

Personally, I really don't like the first sentence. It's not what I want to hear at all. Why is the world so full of problems and devastating events? Why, in spite of our prayers, do some situations continue to plague us? Jesus gives this caveat: “In this world you will have trouble.”

Life in this world isn’t like sitting in a recliner in the living room. It’s a lot more like a hike through the wilderness. It comes complete with snakes and wolves, steep hills to climb, rivers to ford and lots of rocks in our path. It gets cold at night, and during the day we sometimes hike in scorching sun, sometimes in pouring rain. When we signed up for following Jesus, we weren’t checking out of the world and into the Hilton. We were joining an expedition through some pretty rough terrain. The difference is that we have a leader who can show us the best of what there is to see and get us safely to the other side.
I feel the burden of earthquakes, cancer, car accidents, wayward children, unemployment, divorce, abuse, injustice, bigotry, crime, stock market crashes and tragic mistakes. But crisis, for the believer, is never where the story ends:

"You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." (v. 20)

Like a mother giving birth—pain is overwhelming, seems it will never end, but first time she holds her baby to her heart, it’s all smiles and deepest joy. The crisis of the cross and the tomb would take Jesus from his followers' sight, but he would soon show up again, more glorious than ever. When I'm down, struggling, or depressed, I hold on and look through the crisis for Jesus to reveal himself and his love to me. It can take a lot of time but, invariably, I find myself dancing again! In fact, my kids and I "did the dance" in the living room just a couple of days ago, as we often do when we have something to be happy about. It's something to see! (Sorry, you'll have to do your own.)

“In this world you will have trouble." "In me you may have peace.” (v. 33)
It’s the power of this relationship with Jesus, the Son of God, that can turn our mourning into dancing. Knowing that I am his and he has overcome is where I find peace that the world can never give or experience until it learns to trust him. With Jesus...there's just no better place to be!

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