Finding rest

Julie and I are enjoying a two week break in the Rockies. We were both tired, and the opportunity to get away together has been a real blessing. We've enjoyed the beauty of creation, as well as the slower pace of vacation. We needed the rest.

But modern communication keeps us grounded in reality. Through cell phones and e-mails we learned that an old friend our age died of cancer. We felt sadness for those left behind.

And then we discover that our dog became quite ill while we were gone. We had suspected something for awhile, and is is confirmed that cancer has advanced and he is very, very sick. When we return, our four-legged friend won't be there to greet us. I'll really miss the only other male in our house.

As much as we try to avoid the realities of pain in the world, we can't. Since Adam's fall in Genesis, death and hurt are our constant companions--we simply can't escape those realities. But we can find rest in the person of Jesus Christ. I simply cannot imagine trying to deal with all the hurt with out the perspective of Jesus' rest.