Believe and Ask

Over the past few weeks it seems as if there has been a deluge of despairing and disheartening news: From a court- ordered death sentence for Terri Schiavo to the mourning in Florida of the little girl who was kidnapped and murdered last week to the shooting rampage at the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota, events have reminded us that we live in a troubled world that is groping for answers. Fortunately, as Christians we find the answer not in the death of Christ on the cross alone but in the empty tomb that He left behind. By turning to Him we can find not only answers, but also the joy and hope of a life renewed. Luke tells us of the women who approached the tomb of Jesus on Easter morning and were shocked to see it empty, with the body of Christ apparently missing. The angels present reminded the women, "He is not here, he is risen. Remember how he told you while he was still with you in Galilee" Then, Luke tells us, 'they remembered his words." The women can be forgiven for their memory loss; shocking and terrible experiences can cause such forgetfulness. They had just witnessed the painful death of their rabbi (teacher), Jesus of Nazareth, and needed to be reminded He had prepared them for this circumstance. Once reminded, they took comfort in His words.

This afternoon Terri Schiavo will reach a full week since her feeding tube was removed. In a seemingly trackless desert of judicial abandonment, her parents continue to fight to save her. Whatever happens now -- and this Easter weekend is a dangerous time for Terri - she has demonstrated this past week a will to live. Her parents have demonstrated their will as well, as has the Congress, all of which the judiciary has thus far seen fit to ignore. Today, in one of the few columns The Washington Post has published that advocates for Terri, a disability rights lawyer writes passionately on behalf of those who, like Terri, have been "overlooked in the shadows." The world must come to recognize, she says, that "killing, even of the people with the most severe disabilities, is more than a matter of private concern." The debate over Terri Schiavo is not over; indeed, it has just begun."

We now know that the husband got his way and Terri is dead.  God sees all of this and He will be completely just in His dealings with Terri and her husband and everyone else involved.  God is doing something much bigger than we can imagine and is allowing all of these things to play out for His good purpose, which is to conform us to the image of His Son, Jesus.