This is a guest post from Dani Wassef - a good friend of mine and a founding member of St. Timothy & St. Athanasius church. Dani originally wrote this post last week, following the massive earthquake in Nepal that killed more than 7,000 people and injured more than twice as many. Here Dani shares his thoughts and feelings after hearing the tragic news. If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
In the midst of a devastating tragedy, the Nepalese people hold their breath and burst into cheers when a fifteen year-old boy was rescued from the rubble of a multistory residential building in Kathmandu on Thursday. This young man is alive despite being hidden in the debris caused by an earthquake which took the life of more than seven thousand people.
As I was listening to the news this morning, goosebumps gathered along my skin. What an amazing scene. In the midst of death life can be found! I started to think about that boy some more, and I wonder if he will ever live life the same way again? He saw his own death, and lived through the misery of five full days and nights of darkness and hopelessness in the pits of despair.
How much more of a modern-day reminder can God give us during these days where we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord for 50 glorious days?
Less than four weeks ago, we gathered at church and witnessed the death of our Savior. The loss of His life, and hopelessness in the purposes of our own, because if the story of Christ ended at the cross, what hope do we have?
But we know that the power of the cross is magnified through the glorious resurrection from the tomb. And in the midst of all this despair, we go back to our regular lives as if nothing happened.
Like the disciples, we returned back to our old ways. But our Lord gives us a promise that if someone choses to live for Him, there is no turning back... life can never be the same.
After the crucifixion, the disciples went fishing and immediately Christ met them performing the very same miracle that first convinced them to follow Him. This miracle alone captivated St. Peter to the extent that He could not even wait for the boat to reach the shore, he had to plunge into the water to meet the Creator of his purpose.
Just like this young man who is saved, he will never look at life the same way again. He was once dead and now is alive; lost and now is found.
What a great reminder of how precious life is. Every day of our lives we ought to remember how great is our salvation, that saved us on that cross and brought us new life from out of that tomb.