gone

"I believe that hope and grief can occupy the same space."

I read this status update on a friend's wall on Facebook last week. It struck me. I have gone back and read it at least twice since. I totally get this statement. I am not sure what the circumstances are in her life to make her feel this way, and I have too many in my life to try to explain... but those feelings are there.

Grief for losses... home, pets, friends, jobs... anticipating goodbyes. Watching my children hurt and feel awkward. The only way that I can understand these realities in my life are to know that I am daily dying to myself. 

I am learning a heaven perspective. I am learning to daily press my  life and surroundings through an eternal filter. Over and over again. But with this loss. Daily loss of me - comes a strengthening love and hope in Him. 

I was reading tonight through Philippians 3 again. I chose to read them through The Message version... these words gripped me (verses 7-9):

"The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are GONE from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness."

Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master... all else is dog poo. Garbage. Inferior.

Lord, continue to let teach me this and let me live this as my reality. Nothing compares to You.