“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9.
In 1948 a German engineer named Ernst Hoffmeister designed and patented an amusement park ride which he called the Rotor. The Rotor is a large upright barrel which rotates at a high rate of speed. Participants in the ride are propelled to the wall of the barrel by the force of the rotation. Once it has attained full speed, the riders are suspended in mid-air and stuck to the wall, as the bottom drops out of the barrel!
What do you do when the bottom drops out of your world? I am not referring to the minor annoyances of daily life that we all encounter every day – but rather the mind- numbing, catastrophic news that hits us like a ton of bricks, leaving us nearly breathless and shattered. A healthy nephew dies suddenly in the prime of life. A grandson is taken far too young. A dear friend is diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is most often fatal. A second family member is diagnosed with cancer, after cancer has already taken the first. All of these tragedies, and many more, have been experienced in this congregation in the last several weeks.
Kaleb Hochstedler was diagnosed with leukemia on September 11, 2018, and subsequently diagnosed with Sarcoma on November 9, 2019. He passed from this life at the age of 10 on May 12, 2020. On the second anniversary of his death, his sister Naomi wrote these words: “Never was this journey easy – you wept because it was so unbearable sometimes. We all wept. You showed us what it meant to journey imperfectly in the light of God’s grace, striving towards Him.” (See Mission’s Moment for the tragic news of Kaleb’s mother, Fernie’s cancer.)
More tragedy. More grief. More heartache. More tears. And where is Jesus in all of this? Does He care? Scripture answers with a resounding Yes! Our broken hearts are often such an unreliable guide as to the love of our Saviour! But Jesus knows and Jesus cares! He proved the depths of His love for us on the cross of Calvary! When the bottom drops out of our world, He showcases the power of His grace through our weakness! May God help us, through our tears, to continue to journey imperfectly in the light of God’s grace, striving towards Him…until we see Him face to face!