April 10, 2004 Holy Saturday	Read Psalm 30
Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
DARKNESS FADES INTO LIGHT My grandmother, Dorothy Bean, was a beautiful, strong, wonderful person.  I so admired her. She was a “Rosie the Riveter” during World War II right here in Wichita.  Her husband had left her all alone with a 2-year-old daughter and a new baby girl to support.  Amazingly, she not only survived – she thrived.  Upon remarrying, she went on to run a successful restaurant, raise five children, and spoil a lot of grandchildren.  I grew up seeing her revel in life!  With her time and her gift for listening she volunteered at a local hospital.  She also made dozens of her famous cookies for the local food bank.  Through all of this, I always felt that my grandmother was so sure of where she was going.  Imagine my surprise at her funeral, when her pastor said that for most of her married life, she believed she could never go to heaven.  She lived with a “darkness” each and every day.  You see, when she divorced she was told that if she remarried, she would shut her door to heaven.  As I reflected, I recalled that I could not remember Grandma ever talking about attending a church.  When she remarried she just stopped going.  She continued to believe and have faith, but she never thought she was “good enough” to walk through the gates of heaven.  During one of her illnesses, a pastor from a local church was on his rounds at the hospital.  He ended up visiting her several times.  On one of his visits, Grandma told of her “darkness.”  The pastor was able to convince her of God’s grace and forgiveness.  God’s love and light came and surrounded her in the hospital bed that day.  Her “morning” had finally dawned!  The weeping was over and the rejoicing began!  Grandma touched many lives with her giving heart and spirit.  In my darkness of losing her, I was able to experience the daylight and joy of knowing that she lives with the one we all serve – Jesus Christ. Father, please bless those who are facing hardships and difficulty – whose lives are obscured with darkness.  Help them to see the light of day and your promise of joy.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  JULIE HANSEN

---

[Yesterday |Lenten Index | Tomorrow]