Daily Devotional for September 18, 2017
Hope Springs Up
Doug peered out the van’s back window as his dad drove down the cemetery’s narrow path past rows and rows of small gray tombstones. Snow and ice covered the ground from the last winter storm. When they reached the second to last row of tombstones, Dad pulled to the side of the road and turned off the engine. They all got out of the van, and Mom opened the back door and pulled out a colorful cross made of purple flowers. Purple had been Doug’s grandma’s favorite color.
Doug pulled his hood tightly around his head as he and his parents walked slowly down the row of graves. He counted the tombstones as they passed each one. He knew his grandma’s grave was the seventh in the row. When they reached it, the family stopped and read the inscription once again: “Beloved wife, mother, and grandmother.”
They stood silently for a moment as a bitter wind pierced the air. Then Doug spoke up. “It’s so sad and depressing coming out here.” He looked around the cemetery and shivered. “Just thinking about how many dead people are buried in these graves gives me chills.”
Dad put his arm around Doug. “I know, buddy. But we know the grave’s not the end. We have hope for eternal life. Jesus said that He is the resurrection and the life, and anyone who believes in Him will live forever. Grandma trusted Jesus as her Savior. Even though our physical bodies die, Jesus has promised us eternal life if we trust in Him. After we die we’ll go to be with Him, and one day He will give us new bodies that will never die. Nothing beats that hope.” Dad gave Doug a pat on the shoulder.
“Do you want to put the flowers on Grandma’s grave?” Mom asked, holding out the flowered cross.
Doug took the cross from his mother and stooped down beside his grandmother’s tombstone. He pushed the stake down firmly into the ground. As he started to stand up, Doug noticed something green behind the grave. A few blades of grass were poking up out of the snow. There in the cemetery, out of the deadness of winter, the new life of spring was on its way. – Vanessa Small
How about you?
Do you know someone who has died? Are you afraid of dying yourself? Death can be a difficult reality to face, but those who trust in Jesus have hope beyond the grave. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, you can trust in Him today. (See “The ABCs of Salvation on the right column of this page..) If you do know Him, share His truth with others so they can have the hope that comes with knowing Him too.
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