Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
~ John 20:8-9
The tomb was empty when they first saw it. The disciples saw and they believed.
Can I look at the emptiness of my life and still believe?
I am missing Jonathan and Jane. And that creates a big empty space in my life. And yet they are here with me life I could almost hug them and have a conversation with them or replay one that we used to have in the past. I know I cannot touch them with my hands but I know how they have touched and changed my life. I know I have also touched their lives in ways they will carry forever.
Of late, I have been experiencing some empty tombs in my life. I am missing my physical strength so that now I am more aware of the difference between being tired and being without energy. I suffer every now and then from ‘productivity anxiety’. I do not earn a salary anymore. Am I still of any use to anyone? And this feeling would then trigger some ‘love anxiety’. Am I still loved and needed? Yet in that very same emptiness, I know I have been blessed with a full and meaningful life. Friends and families would go out of their way to come and see me. And we have good times together – yet again. I know they occupy a special part of my heart which shall never be emptied of their love and memories. And I know I occupy a special part in their hearts which they shall cherish forever.
The darkness of the night is gone, replace by the light of a new day. The dreariness of winter is passing as the blossoming of spring is steadily and certainly unfolding. The soil is now again tilled and seeds are planted anew. Vines and branches are pruned. Everywhere, there is new and better life a-borning.
The magic and mystery of Easter is that life will never be denied. Life will always find a way to express itself. It may take billions of years but life will eventually emerge victorious. And the beauty and ultimate meaning of the irrepressible nature of life is the love that prompted the Creator to speak those primordial words, “Let there be life!” And on Easter morning, as He raises His Son from the dead, He speaks the life-giving words, “Let there be love!”