Not in the Grave
Inside Edition reports:
In 2000, Fatima and Kamaron Hickman welcomed the birth of their first and only child together on Aug. 21 in Landstuhl, Germany, where the young Army couple was stationed.
Jada Hickman died of SIDS when she was only 6 months old. Her parents grieved her death, burying her at Hillcrest Memorial Park. Over 20 years later, her parents decided to exume her body and have it cremated so that a part of her could be with each of them no matter where they were.
But when the cemetary attempted to exume her body, they could not find it. According to Inside Edition:
The anguished parents of Jada Hickman say there is nothing left of their baby's remains after 22 years at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Augusta, Georgia. Not her casket, not her white dress, not her shoes, not her tiny body or skeleton. "As we discussed with you, we apologize that due to the passage of time, we were unable to recover the remains of your daughter," wrote a cemetery official in an email to the mother.
Jada's body couldn't be found, whether because (as the cemetary claims) she had already rapidly decomposed, or because (as her father claims) she was buried in the wrong place, or because she was never actually buried at all.
But the story for Jesus is different. Jesus' body couldn't be found because He rose from the grave! And this wasn't 20 years later, but on the third day, when there was no confusion about where or how He was buried.
The plain truth is that Jesus rose. No sorrow. No confusion. Just incomparable joy!
Our risen Savior, with us always ... everywhere we go.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ...
Then Jesus came to them and said, "...surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:6, 20, NIV
God's Presence Fits Like a Belt
Belts. They are such useful accessories! A properly fitted belt will hold up your trousers, keep your shirt (and maybe even your uncomely parts) safely tucked in, and do it all largely imperceptably.
But an improperly fitted belt. Well, that's a different story. Too loose, and we're tugging up our pants all day long. Too tight, and we feel constricted and uncomfortable, and can't wait to get home and unbuckle it.
Like a well fit belt, God's presence encircles us, supports us, and tucks in our comely parts. And it does so without cinching us so tightly that we cannot move. Rather, He gives us room to be comfortable, to move freely, confidently, knowing He is holding us up and holding us together. Right there, at the center of our being.
“For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28, NIV).
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10, NIV).
Crossing Over
Crossing over. Jars of Clay did it. So did Sixpence None the Richer, Pillar, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and one of my personal favorites… Switchfoot.
Crossover is a music industry term. It refers to acts that "cross over" from one music category to another. When Jars of Clay, for example, scored a major hit with their song "Flood," they crossed over from the contemporary Christian music charts to the pop music charts. Sixpence did the same thing a couple of years later with their song, "Kiss Me” and now Switchfoot’s “Mean to Live” is a big crossover hit.
When a contemporary Christian music act crosses over, the pop charts are like "uncharted" territory. The experience presents all sorts of challenges, not the least of which is contending for the faith within a more hostile environment.
The people of God have been "crossing over" into unfamiliar territory for many millennia.
When the nation of Israel was preparing to cross over the Jordan River into the Promised Land, the territory was unfamiliar. So God directed the Levites to carry the Ark of the Covenant first – to represent God's presence with His people - and the Israelites were to follow them.
The same advice works for you. If you are crossing over into unfamiliar territory--from high school to college, for example, or to a new job or a new home--remember that God is with you.
"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you" (Genesis 28:15).