Hoping For Life

There are times when families and friends have to wait a long time before they know that someone they llove is no longer among the living. I have often wondered how long an individual can continue to hold out hope that a lloved one will be “found alive.”

There’s that plane crash relatively recently from which no trace has been found even months later. Do the families still hold out hope? Just today we learned of the death of an American woman held captive by ISIS. I am sure her family has hoped over the time she has been captive that she would return alive to her family.

I am sure I remember (I don’t want to pull a “Brian Williams” here) a plane crash that happened while I was a senior in High School. The fuselage of the plane, and human remains, were found this week by skilled hikers high in the Andes mountains. It’s been 53 years:

The LAN Chile Douglas DC-3 twin-propeller aircraft was reported missing on April 3, 1961, near the city of Linares, some 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of the Chilean capital of Santiago. Eight players and the coach of the top-flight Green Cross soccer club as well as three referees were among the 24 passengers traveling aboard the plane. (REUTERS)

Could some of the family members have held out hope all this time, only to be disappointed? It’s hard not knowing what has happened to people we llove.

I know many people who are hoping, believing even, that members of their family will be in Heaven when they arrive. Some believe that surely the people they llove will make it to Heaven in the end, even though their life would indicate that is not likely.

How important is it that those of us who know Christ and His saving grace do all we can to make sure our family members and those we llove are prepared to meet the end of this life. The Scripture says, “. . . it is appointed for people to die once — and after this, judgment —” (Hebrews 9:27),  and we must be purposeful in sharing our faith.

Hope replaced by certainty. That is so important to peace of mind and heart.