Like Dreams that Disappear *Updated*

~ Jeff took this picture on one of the back roads near our house - August 2009

The heart-rending tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti is but the latest reminder of the brevity of life. Truly, none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Is that a depressing thought? Is the idea of God "sweeping us away like dreams that disappear" cause for undue mourning? Not necessarily. Not if, as I firmly believe, the hope of heaven changes everything. And not according to the author of Psalm 90, a psalm that is filled with trust and hope and longing for God to be glorified. It begins, "Lord, through all the generations, you have been our home!" and ends with "Let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!" That's a prayer I can pray with all my heart!

* I've thought a lot about this verse and this post during the past 24 hours. Shav's frequent night waking helped me to truly meditate day AND NIGHT on God's word. :) A few other thoughts have come to me that I want to jot down:

~ My heart breaks more and more as I read further reports from Haiti. The suffering is unimaginable, and I know that God's heart is aching, too, as He sees the full extent of the pain and devastation there.

~ When I think of death, another verse often comes to my mind: "Brothers, we do not want you to...grieve like the rest of men who have no hope." (I Thess. 4:13) Whether death comes in the form of an earthquake, or a disease, or a car accident, or a criminal act, whether it comes to myriads of people at the same time or one by one, our reaction, despite our deep grief, can still be hope--all because of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. One thing is certain: death will come to all of us (unless Jesus returns first, of course!). When we stick our head in the sand and pretend like we'll live forever, we live unwisely; but when we embrace the realization that the day of our passing from this life to the next is coming, it changes the choices we make each day, paring down the peripheral issues to those things that truly matter in the light of eternity.

~ Sometimes when tragedies are as huge as this one, we feel helpless to make any difference. But in this situation, there are a myriad of opportunities for each of us to reach out and extend a helping hand--no matter how small--to our neighbors to the south. I've heard and read from a number of people who have personal connections to Haiti, and I know that the hearts of many, many people are being stirred to assist the beloved people of Haiti.