What we believe matters. God taught me this when Melanie's mom died suddenly in an accident. We knew the Lord loved her and that she loved the Lord. What could we make of her tragic death?
Mary and Martha told Jesus that Lazarus was very ill. They expected Jesus to come quickly. He did not get there before Lazarus died. Their grief was compounded by frustration with the Master. How could Jesus love Lazarus and let him die? Do we ever wonder?
Finally, Jesus arrived. He told Martha who he was. "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes will live even though they die. . . Do you believe this?"
The day after our tragedy, I went for a run from Melanie's parent's house. Along the way two things became clear. First, our grief was great but our gratitude was even greater. Second, what we believe matters. We knew Melanie's mom was with the Lord. This made all the difference in our response.
Do you believe Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life? What we believe matters, for all eternity. Today we may choose to believe. Will we?
