Good morning…
Okay. I have to admit. I left out one sentence from the Parker Palmer quote highlighted in our previous two posts. This sentence stood out to me like a sore thumb. We all differ in myriad ways, and this one sentence sums up one way my belief differs from the truth expressed on page 98 of Let Your Life Speak.
“I am drawn down by the prospect of death,” Parker Palmer writes, “more than I am lifted by the hope of new life.”
I feel differently. I live my daily life from this focused center: I am drawn down by the prospect of death, but even more I am lifted by the hope of new life.
I get what Parker is saying. The gravitational pull of life is toward “the prospect of death,” meaning the possibility and likelihood of death occurring in our future is 100%. For every living thing. For you, for me, for all of us.
I personally do not believe death is the end of God’s story. And when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the Scripture will be fulfilled that says, “Death is swallowed up in victory (vanquished forever). O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”(1 Corinthians 15:54-56, AMP).
This pivotal point is where eternal hope enters our equation. As we fall down, collapsing without control, God’s supernatural power kicks in to lift up, Up, UP. Slowly, very slowly, God mysteriously lifts us higher than we were before. Death is programmed into nature, autumn teaches truth. Yet as the generous seeds begin to take root, we sense within our soul: new life is the gracious work of our constant Re-Creator.
Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own (2 Corinthians 5:14-15, MSG).
…Sue…
