30Thrive

My beloved cousin, Lindsey O'Brien Kesling

I had the privilege of speaking at my cousin's Memorial Service this week and below is what I said.  For anyone who has faced the reality of death in a personal way, I hope this post brings comfort: 

We all have something in common today.  It is likely that we are thinking more clearly at this very moment than we ever have.  We are acutely aware of how fragile life is and how certain death is.  It gives us a unique grasp on reality, a unique wisdom we don’t normally carry with us.  All our priorities come into perspective.  So may we all pay attention to this moment and learn from it. 

We are feeling tremendous grief inside…even anger, despair, confusion, and disbelief. And it makes sense that we would feel this way because humans were created for life.  We were never meant to die.  Things were never meant to be like this.  But we live in a broken world and there is brokenness all around us.  Each of us ourselves is broken.  We’re broken on two levels:  physically our bodies are breaking down and will eventually die, but we’re broken on the inside too.  There is a restlessness and an insecurity within, a hunger we cannot fill.  If we’re honest with ourselves, no matter how much genuine passion we have for life or deep love we feel for others, we still cannot fix our inner brokenness, our unquenchable thirst for purpose, security, and fulfillment.  

I submit to you that the reason for our brokenness is that we all in some form or fashion have lived as if we have no Creator.  We’ve lived our life as if there is no God.  The Bible calls this sin.  For some it is inward and subtle for others it is outward and blatant.  But it doesn’t matter:  we all have neglected our obligation to live loyal to our Maker.  And because of this, we experience brokenness.

No doubt God is offended by our disregard for Him.  He takes it as a personal offense.  But He also is merciful and has provided a very clear solution.  The solution is unexpected.  It is not doing better or being better.   See, the bottom line is that broken people can’t fix themselves.  We have to have outside help.  That is why God’s solution for us is a person, and a relationship with that person:  the person of Jesus Christ.  He did for us what we could not do for ourselves.  He fixed us inside and out.  He lived the perfect life we could not live.  He died the death that was intended for us, to pay for our sins.  And He came back to life, defeating death, our biggest enemy.  He paid our debt before God and He freed us from our enemy.  No one in history has ever done this or claimed to do this but Him.  That’s what makes Him so unique.  Jesus truly is our Rescuer and Hero.  When you believe this, the only logical response is complete loyalty.

In John 11, Jesus Himself attends the funeral of one of his best friends.   And he did three very interesting things there:

First, He raised His friend from the dead.  It was Lazarus; you are probably familiar with the story.  All He did was speak the words, “Lazarus, come out!” and he did.  It is amazing!  His words alone have power to create life and restore life.  This is good news because we all need life to be restored to us on the inside.  He brings peace to our inner restlessness and quenches our inner thirst.  And the Bible teaches that when He returns, He will raise up the bodies of those who believe in Him, just like He did with Lazarus.  We will be given new, perfect bodies just the way we were originally intended to be.  Do you see?  We have two levels of brokenness and Jesus answers them both.

The second amazing thing is that earlier that day before He raised Lazarus, Jesus was with Lazarus’ two sisters, Mary and Martha, and He wept with them.  This is Jesus, fully God, knowing that He was about to raise their brother, but also fully man, identifying with their intense pain and feeling it too.  This should bring you so much comfort.  He feels your pain right now.  We have a God and Savior that is personal and can identify with us.  He is real and present here today and He is intimately acquainted with you even if you do not know Him.  He longs to make a difference in your life and bring comfort to your souls.  All you have to do is reach out to Him – He is there!

Thirdly, in John 11:25, Jesus makes an outrageous claim.  He says, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me will live even though he dies.”  He confidently claims to be the source of life and then He proved it with His actions by raising Lazarus.  He says if you believe in Him your soul will live even though your body dies.  And that life in your soul that only He can give will never die (as the next verse explains).  Then He ends His statement with a question to Lazarus’ sister, “Do you believe this?”  He is asking us the same question today.  “Do you believe this?”  Do you believe that Jesus is the source of life?  Can you admit that you are broken?  Do you see that it is because of your sin?  Where do you look to be fixed?  How’s it working out for you?  Will you consider turning to Jesus for Him to fix your brokenness?  You may think you’re too far gone to ever turn to Jesus but that’s not what He says.  He says anyone can believe in Him and He’ll wipe your slate clean.

I would suggest you read John 11 for yourself.  Ask God to open your eyes to the truth in the Bible.  I know the Bible may seem outdated at first, but give it a chance to sink in and you’ll find it is the most relevant book of truth for all seasons of your life, including this tragedy we’re currently facing.  

I can think of no greater way to honor Lindsey O’Brien Kesling on this day when we celebrate her life and mourn her death, than to evaluate our own lives and get right with God and those around us.

I love you Lindsey!