Death Reunites

20170106_170551-1Early this morning I made a trip with grandson Riley to the airport to fly to Atlanta. Thanks to Christian for getting up at 3 a.m. to get us to the airport. We arrived at 11:30 a.m. but found the drive from the airport to Stephanie and Nathan’s house as long as the flight from Denver to Atlanta. A winter storm warning had everyone rushing home early, jamming the highways.

This time of the year brings several birthdays close together. Today is son-in-law Nathan’s birthday, yesterday was daughter-in-law Bridge’s birthday and on December 31st was granddaughter Mckenzie’s birthday. Hard to believe she is four. So, I talked her into a picture so I could see what a four year-old looked like.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…  “Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah…” (Genesis 25:8,9 ESV)

We see it in the life of Abraham and his sons, we see it in our world today; the time of death brings family back together; even when there has been hardship, struggles and division.

I think of the well-known brothers of early Bible history. Cain and Abel; Ishmael and Isaac; Esau and Jacob. Then the twelve sons of Jacob. I am glad that the Bible records the facts of the history of God’s people past for what it was. In that there may be some encouragement for God’s people in the present.

Families are not perfect. They have their challenges, conflicts and even divisions. The greatest were Cain and Abel, when the first murder occurred with the first brothers. We see Ishmael and Isaac set up a conflict between peoples that is still present in our day. We see that Esau, after Jacob deceived Isaac to “steal” his blessing, threatened to kill Jacob.

But even with some of that history we read at the time of Jacob’s death, “Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.” (Genesis 35:29 ESV)

When family reunites at the time of death, while it may be out of love or simply respect for the deceased, it is a reminder of what matters most. I like the simple triumvirate my friend Paul Irwin shared with me, “life is a gift, life is precious, life is fragile.” Even when someone dies at an old age we are reminded that we all face, in the words of the apostle Paul, the “time of our departure.”

This time provides family an opportunity to focus on shared history and not the conflicts or struggles of family life. It can be a time of healing; or lives can just return to “business as usual” when it is all over. Shared history and a common heritage can serve to unite if we allow it to do so and allow the Lord to guide our actions and reactions.

It would be interesting to have the “back story” of the interactions of these Bible characters when they were reunited at the time of death. There is an opportunity for reconciliation, but it has to be seized and other than what we only see working out in the course of history, we don’t have much detail of the lives of the actual siblings, before their own deaths.

That is another lesson we can learn and observe. Unresolved conflicts, impact the future. When opportunities for healing are passed by, it seems the scar tissue becomes set over time.

Relationships matter. Family relationships are important. This is true in our natural families and in the “spiritual family” of God. Two verses when, it comes to conflict resolution, come to mind:

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…” (James 1:19 NIV)

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31,32 NIV)

Prayer for today…. Lord, help us to value the relationships that tie us together the most; those of family. Where there is hurt, bring healing; where there is division, bring unity; where there is hatred, bring love. May our lives reflect Your highest good for us in Christ Jesus.