Your Soul Lives On

You live until you die…well duh! Such a simple statement. Just five little words, that we should all take a little more seriously.

As we were singing in church yesterday morning, the words to the old hymn, I Am Resolved, really spoke to me, as they hushed my own voice.

For the past almost four years, we have struggled. Our family attended diligently, and was actively a part of a church since April of 1999. (We did go back to upstate New York for a couple years.) My husband was the pastor of this church the last two years we were there. Our son and two of our son-in-laws taught classes there and were on the board. For almost two years, we have not been a part of that ministry. Almost two years ago, my husband’s mother passed away. This was a woman that loved her children and grandchildren dearly, and she has left a hole in their lives.

To say that my husband has been struck-down is an understatement. To say that I have been there for him is not true. When I am hurt, I go into survival mode…and survive. And I want others to do the same. Sometimes, that just doesn’t work. Compassion is a trait I am working on.

The hymn yesterday morning caused me to think, and put things in better perspective, at least for a little while. Here are the words, and if you like, you may listen to it played on the piano. http://www.hymnpod.com/2009/12/31/i-am-resolved/

Our family no longer worships together. Because there are so many of us, we have felt it best to disperse. Our family doubles the congregation of a small church, and that is not always wanted. That is hurtful, but we humans wear our feelings on our sleeves, and just because you know Christ as your Savior, it doesn’t mean you have it all together. It means you are willing to let Christ into your life and guide you…or at least it should.

God has given us the local church to edify the saints…teach Believers the Bible, first and foremost. Then we are to use our spiritual gifts to build up fellow Believers, support that local assembly, and be a light in the community and the world around us. People need one another. We are to bear one another’s burdens. We are to love one another.

Not judge, bicker over items that really don’t matter, or get caught up in the world’s system of doing things. (I am not talking about government or laws here.) We are not to hurt one another in the local church or be a stumbling block. For more information on this, you may read Paul’s letters in the Bible. Some of these are I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians and Romans. And we are to have compassion and be a good, Godly testimony to the world.

Yes, it’s been a rough few years. We’ve had our feelings hurt, it’s caused us to stumble, wondering what we should do next, and where we should be. So those words in the hymn spoke to me. But it’s not about me…it’s about Christ and the price He has paid for us all. In the light of eternity, the hurts, the anger, and the stumbling do not matter.

You live until you die…and we will all physically die one day. As the old cliche goes, none of us are getting out of here alive. If you are saved, you have eternity in Heaven. As a Believer, the health issues, financial instability, housing, and our feelings, are not the issue. Our relationship with God and learning His Word is the issue. When we apply His Word in our lives, not just let it sit there, it changes us and the way we react and interact with others. All people. So you can have cancer, and still take joy in your world around you, and the people and things in it. You can lose a loved one, and feel that pain, but still go on. You can sacrifice all that you have for others, and still have more to give.

Life is not easy, but we are here for a time. Why not make the most of it? Greet the day with a smile, shrug off the little hurts, have confidence that God will take care of you. But it will be His way, His best plans for you out of the love He has.

And that is a love like no other. Be resolved to live your life for God and be Christ-like. Then you will be living until you die…that physical death. Your soul lives on.