I've been thinking about resurrection. It's an odd concept for me to wrap my mind around, as I'm sure it is for any person. There is so much mystery about death, resurrection, & eternity. Of course, I've thought through ideas & concepts about this in the past, but since we've experienced a death so near, I've thought through all of this so much more.

We talk about hope a lot. It's basically our life theme. Right around the time of Jonathan's death, I searched for reminders of why we have hope. I searched through the B*ble for any little detail I could find about death, resurrection & eternity (the very thought of eternity blows my mind). I found what I was searching for; I found the reminders of why we have hope & a clearer vision of what we have to hope for.

One of the most impressive passages for me is in 1 Corinthians 15.

{1 Corinthians 15:35-44, 56, 58}

35-38  Some skeptic is sure to ask, "Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this 'resurrection body' look like?" If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a "dead" seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don't look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.

39-41  You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning. Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies—humans, animals, birds, fish—each unprecedented in its form. You get a hint at the diversity of resurrection glory by looking at the diversity of bodies not only on earth but in the skies—sun, moon, stars—all these varieties of beauty and brightness. And we're only looking at pre-resurrection "seeds"—who can imagine what the resurrection "plants" will be like!

42-44  This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body—but only if you keep in mind that when we're raised, we're raised for good, alive forever! The corpse that's planted is no beauty, but when it's raised, it's glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural—same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!

56 ...the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal.

58  With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. 

That passage speaks for itself. Isn't it awesome?! We have so much to hope for! The bodies we're in now, prone to sickness, cancer, decay, we won't have forever. These bodies are just dead seeds waiting for life to sprout!

Let's embrace our heavenly ends! Let's not be afraid to live, because even in death there's so much to look forward to.

Live in courage & hope!
xoxo, Audrey