But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

1 Corinthians 15:51-53

Dear God, this happens to be the passage of the day from Bible Gateway, and it is appropriate because it is the anniversary of the death of a young man I never knew, but whose life and his family overlaps with ours in a weird tangential way. I’m not going to get into that right now. You know the story. I just want to take this time to pray for this family who lost their son 13 years ago. The horror. The anguish. The pain of the loss. Yesterday was the anniversary of a day in our family’s history that, in the words of my wife, ripped the fabric of our family. Today is the anniversary of another tragedy that ripped the fabric of another family. And then there is another friend whose son died three years ago this last Saturday. I thought it was a few days from now, but I just looked up his obituary and I had missed it. For his parents, its been incredibly painful, and I know there marriage struggles. I’m impressed the first couple has remained married. Honestly, I’m impressed by wife and I have remained married through our tragedy. There is always so much blame to go around in times like this, including blaming ourselves. And all three of the situations I’m talking about were preventable. The outcomes could have changed had better decisions been made–maybe by everyone. The tragedy is felt and internalized. The despair is palpable.

But then verse like this remind me how small this life is. Paul lets us in on “a wonderful secret.” There is hope in a life that is redeemed after this earth passes away. The new earth is waiting, and it has work for us to do. There’s no room for selfishness or foolishness there. I cannot bring those things with me. And I’ll gladly leave them behind for the opportunity to be made whole and exist in your presence forever. Loving my family. Loving my friends. Loving my enemies. Loving well.

Father, I pray that the two couples I’m thinking of who lost their sons too young will feel your healing and comfort today. I’m reminded of the couple whose adult son was healed from his blindness by Jesus. Everyone, including the disciples, wanted to blame them. But they were not to blame. Jesus said so. I pray that you would break down the acts of us blaming others or ourselves. Comfort them today. Raise up people in their lives who will love on them and give them your sense of caring and compassion. Help them to turn loose of the “what might’ve beens” and embrace the years they had with them. When we have sons and daughters we can’t help but have dreams for them. Each of them. I pray that you will somehow today, impart dreams for their sons that they cannot even fathom on this side of death. Unite them togethe as couples comfort them through each other. Save this one marriage that is on the brink.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen