Death sucks!

My uncle Roger died this weekend.

I've struggled with what to write ever since my mom called me with the news. Roger's children know about & visit my website. I find myself weeping when I think about our family's loss, but I can't imagine what it'd be like to lose a father.

As I think about Roger's passing, there's nothing "fair" about it. He's gone. His loss is painful and it will take a long time to heal. As I process this experience, I find my thoughts returning to two key elements.

(1) Hope. Roger's with Jesus now. No more pain. As Christ-followers, we have HOPE! "Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?" Jesus conquered death on the cross for us, that we could know eternal life through Him. The apostle Paul refers to our earthly body as a tent, a temporary dwelling. This isn't it for us!

(2) Hate. Visiting Roger only 48 hours before he died, I was surprised at how much he'd deteriorated in the two weeks since I'd seen him last. Ravaged is the only word I can think of to describe it. To me, the cancer was a graphic representation of the sheer hatred Satan has for mankind, made in God's image.

I'm not going to pretend there's any easy answers. Why didn't they catch it sooner? Why didn't the treatments work? Why did God allow this to happen? I don't know. Because of Adam's sin, sickness & death entered the picture. Someday we're all going to die. For me, it could have been 8 years ago when I was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma, but evidently God has more for me to do here on earth before I get to finish my race & join Roger, Grandpa Berg, and all the others who have gone before me.

But until then, the God of all comfort promises to hide us under the shadow of His wings.

We'll miss you, Roger!