Kim and I love London, England. It is my favorite city in the world, and we sit around dreaming up excuses for spending a large wad of money on another trip. The last time we were there was in March of 2003 for our tenth anniversary. We stayed in a hotel in Picadilly Circus, right across from a London Underground station, which made the city readily available to us. We wanted to see some shows in the West End while we were there, so we bought tickets to see the Lion King. The show opens with the "Circle of Life" number, as the animal kingdom gathers to celebrat the birth of the Lion King. It is staged so spectactularly, and the song is so inspiring, that I wept like a little girl.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." and you know the rest. I don't know about a circle of life, but there is a cycle, a God-ordained order of things. This cycle illustrates the Easter story and gives us hope for the future - there is spring, summer, autumn, then winter as nature is born, matures, and dies, only to be reborn every spring. We Christians can look forward to the same thing - we are born, we mature, we will die, only to be reborn, so to speak, in eternity when our Lord comes and makes all things new. There is continuity. I am sure of it.
Yesterday I visited Bill Smith, who is approaching the end of his heroic battle with cancer. Phyllis was there along with some of Bill's grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Bill was in his bed and there sleeping next to him was his great-granddaughter, a newborn. The contrast was striking but beautiful - Bill was so large, his pale skin bearing the marks of his years and struggles, and she was so small, her pink skin was flawless. She slept soundlessly as Bill held her. It seems that Bill's family lineage is intact, but more than that, Bill could see in the child a glimpse of His own future. That newness, that beauty, that innocense, that flawlessness awaits him in the presence of the Lord. There is continuity. I am sure of it.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." and you know the rest. I don't know about a circle of life, but there is a cycle, a God-ordained order of things. This cycle illustrates the Easter story and gives us hope for the future - there is spring, summer, autumn, then winter as nature is born, matures, and dies, only to be reborn every spring. We Christians can look forward to the same thing - we are born, we mature, we will die, only to be reborn, so to speak, in eternity when our Lord comes and makes all things new. There is continuity. I am sure of it.
Yesterday I visited Bill Smith, who is approaching the end of his heroic battle with cancer. Phyllis was there along with some of Bill's grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Bill was in his bed and there sleeping next to him was his great-granddaughter, a newborn. The contrast was striking but beautiful - Bill was so large, his pale skin bearing the marks of his years and struggles, and she was so small, her pink skin was flawless. She slept soundlessly as Bill held her. It seems that Bill's family lineage is intact, but more than that, Bill could see in the child a glimpse of His own future. That newness, that beauty, that innocense, that flawlessness awaits him in the presence of the Lord. There is continuity. I am sure of it.
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