The Strength We Need

Joy Even in Tragedy

Joy in tragedy is something that many think is not possible. Many think with death there cannot be any joy.

Yet, we can have joy even in death or other tragedies.

How?

Memories. Time with family. Time with friends long not seen. Time itself because we are still here.

Maybe you have some struggles with this last point because you are here and feeling the pain of George Calvin’s death. That pain you feel is your continued love for George.

This too sounds crazy. “How is this terrible pain I am feeling” you may say, “the continued love for George?” How is pain tied to love?

It is because if you did not love George you would not hurt. This pain you feel is a pain of love. Love is a bond that ties us to others in ways we don’t fully understand.

So, when a loved one is gone, you hurt. You hurt with a longing to see them again, to grumble over them doing something that annoyed you just one more time, to just sit with them and not even speak but just be together.

These are all the pains of love from a love separated by death.

In this time of separation, you are not alone. No, you have one greater than the one you lost able to give comfort.

If you will allow me to read a few Scriptures to you for comfort and about the one who will give you all you need.

Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

God is with you wherever you go. He is your comfort and strength. He was the comfort and strength to this Israeli army about to enter into strange and dangerous lands, and this is what he told them. I believe you are in strange lands today and that He is with you and giving you the same strength He gave them then.

Trust Him for this and let Him fill you with peace and comfort today.

Another passage is Nahum 1:7

Nahum 1:7 ESV

7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

He is your stronghold. A stronghold is a place of safety or protection. The Lord is your stronghold in the day of trouble. These last few days have been days of struggle. The Lord is there to give you the shelter and cover you need.

He gives refuge to you and He knows you. He knows what you need today. He knows what you are fighting and because of that in His refuge He will give you all you need to stay standing and putting one foot in front of another.

Another passage is in Isa. 40:28-31

Isaiah 40:28–31 ESV

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

The weariness of these past few days may be weighing on you. You may feel exhausted and worn down. Maybe you are feeling the frustrations of it all.

The Lord is there and He is offering you power and strength and an ability to soar above it all when you give Him the concerns and worries.

The Lord offers all of this to you in this difficult time. Peace, protection, power, rest, strength, comfort, joy, and restoration when you wait on Him.

Waiting can be hard. Waiting can feel like an eternity. Waiting causes you to depend on those you wait on though.

Like George after his hip surgery this past winter. He was waiting on the doctor to release him so he could get back to riding. Of course that wait did not happen fully as he decided to swing aboard before being released.

This lack of waiting did not cause any harm or grief but it does demonstrate how we feel about waiting. I get it waiting on the Lord is hard and tough, but in this situation of grief, wait on Him I promise He will deliver you all you need and then some.

Why is that? Other than these Scriptures just read, in the 23 Psalm we see even more the care of the Shepherd to His.

In Psalm 23: 1-4

Psalm 23:1–4 ESV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

The Lord is my shepherd and because of this you lack nothing. He takes you to green pastures and to good clear cool water. He will lead you to the right path and even though you are in this valley, this shadow of death, He is with you comforting you and protecting you giving you comfort.

Instead of a shepherd of sheep let us look at this as a good camp man. We all know George was a good camp man. He tended his country and made sure all was well. Some of that was due to the little cross he carried in his pocket everyday reminding him of who he truly worked for. Some was his character. Some was just who he was. The rest was because he was under the care of the great camp man Jesus and that carried through him to his work.

But a good camp man tends and cares for the cattle they are over. They make sure the waters are good and there is feed a plenty for the cattle. They stop the evils that try to come upon the herd and do their level best to bring them through to the end.

The great Shepherd Jesus Christ never loses a single one that is His. As the people under His care, we never have to worry about being lost. As His we are guaranteed a passage to the green pastures and still waters regardless what happens.

The great Shepherd is far more than any great camp man because we people will fail and make mistakes, where He never does.

This is a great comfort to me and reason to have boldness and courage in the face of every situation we will encounter.

So, today as you mourn also celebrate because the Great Shepherd tends His flock and since He does we have hope and faith that any that are His will always be His. They will be with Him in eternity because as the rest of this Psalm says Psalm 23:6

Psalm 23:6 ESV

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

All who are the Great Shepherds will be there in His house forever. That is comfort and peace. Rest assured in this and know that this is the source of goodness and mercy to follow you.

George went out still riding for the brand. He was representing the ranch all the way. I think this was his way of saying to all, keep going. Keep working. I am gone but there is still a lot of work left to be done.

So, Teresa, keep the faith and stay the course. Continue living and working just as you have been because this is what George would want. Never forget that heart pendant he gave you and the deepness of his love for you. That is worth staying the course for and living a good life honoring George.

Ty, you have work and life to do and live. Keep going, keep walking, keep riding and live a well-lived life.

Will, stay true to the work and continue. Be a great dad and husband. Live a life that honors the life of those who poured into you. Keep riding and going forward.