Devotions - Monday, Feb 25

My plans to be away this morning changed. I am thinking I will leave later this afternoon, for what remains of the conference. The reason for the change is the news no one wants to hear. It is as the result of death.

Last week began with the news that Frieda's father had died, in South Africa. She tried to find a way to get home to be with her family. In the end, she could not. As we hugged her and enveloped her in our prayers, we understood that what she wanted most was to be with her family.

On Wednesday, Leslie shared news of the death of her high school's friend's father, while skiing in CO.

Thursday, our extended community of Alumni experienced the death of Darrell Atlman. Father of Chris, Darrell came to Clemson in the fall of 2006 to cook a pig for our USC Game tailgate.

While Laura and I were away for that funeral, our college-age sons had to deal with the death of our dog, Cleo. She had been with us for eleven years. She was the kind of dog who pushed the borders between human and animal.

There is an old film series titled Begin with Goodbye. It instructs viewers to understand that each new beginning contains the seeds of an eventual good-bye. A favorite pair of jeans wear out; the college years come to an end; friends move away; loved ones die. We prepare for the big losses by careful attention to the little losses.

This year has challenged our campus with way too many losses. We have had deaths from unknown heart conditions, tragic deaths in house fires, and accidental deaths. The Clemson homepage once again as a ribbon of support for a sister institution where a lone gunman brought horror to a classroom of students. We will never (nor should we) become prepared for such losses. But we might learn to deal with them.

The promise of Christ is that nothing will separate us from the love of God. During college years, it sometimes seems as if it is life (living the wild and crazy life of a college student) which will separate us. But it does not. And neither will death. God continues to love, even in the midst of death. That is why we gather for funerals, in our churches. As a witness against any suggestion that such times are void of the presence of God.

I pray that your encounters with death will be few and far into the future. But they will come. When they do come, be prepared to say good-bye. Be prepared to give thanks for all that you have received. Be prepared to call upon the faith which has sustained you throughout your life.