The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady
Who doesn’t want to live in a place where there is no death, sorrow, crying, or pain? People want it so badly that that they pretend they live in such a place. When they find out they don’t, they thrash, yell, weep, or do whatever it takes to avoid the pain. Let’s face it. Life on earth is filled with pain. The only hope anyone has is to invite Jesus into his or her life, accept the peace that passes all understanding, and look forward to a heaven with no more sorrow.
I spent an afternoon walking across the peaceful rolling hills of the New Market Battle Field in Virginia. I looked at the yellow wild flowers and tried to imagine them stained with the blood of two armies killing each other. I looked at the empty farmhouse and wondered what it was like hiding in the basement while blasts from guns and cannons shook the walls. When the owners built their house, did they ever imagine that their barn would be turned into a hospital filled with the screams of dying young men? I came to the place where the first cadet was killed and remembered how painful it was to lose my own son. Did this young cadet’s mother feel it the moment her baby drew his last breath? Did she ever get over it? That mother no longer walks on earth and I wondered if she was in a place with no more tears.
Belle and I strolled to the overlook and gazed at the peaceful modern-day houses nestled behind the flowing creek. Were people sitting in those houses wondering what day the bank would foreclose on the house of their dreams? Had they just found out they had lost a son or daughter in our modern day wars? As I stood there, the stark contrast of the deceivingly peaceful scene and the knowledge of what can actually happen on this earth washed over me. No matter how much I want to pretend otherwise, I know firsthand how brutal life can be.
Many I meet on the road long for God to wipe away their tears. They think they need their problems to go away to be happy and are haunted by the knowledge that even if this problem goes away, there are more lurking right around the next corner. Most have heard of the peace that comes from Jesus and some even remember it, but they cannot imagine being happy without the person, place, or thing they are missing so desperately.
I listen to their pain and as I quote the word of God, cannot explain the peace Jesus offers because it is beyond understanding. All I can do is allow the love of Jesus to flow through me as I help others find him.
When the people I meet finally relax into the sweet abyss of Jesus’ peace, they cannot explain it either. They simply know it is real and never want to be without it again. I praise God that he allows me to be a tiny part of helping people find their way into the comforting arms of Jesus and an eternity of “no more tears.”
See the New Market Battle Field at the Photo Gallery
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