Joy is Coming in the Morning

I am listening to the title track from Stephen Curtis Chapman's new CD beautywillrise. Here is the first verse and chorus...
It was the day the world went wrong/ I screamed 'til my voice was gone/ And watched through the tears as everything came crashing down/ Slowly panic turns to pain/ As we awake to what remains / And sift through the ashes that are left behind/But buried deep beneath/ All our broken dreams we have hope/ Out of these ashes/Beauty will rise/ And we will dance among the ruins/ We will SEE it with our own eyes/ Out of these ashes/ Beauty will rise/ For we know joy is coming in the morning/ In the morning/ Beauty will rise

He wrote this collection of songs in the months following the tragic death of his young daughter, Maria. His words so accurately capture my experience with the death of my husband--I love them because they acknowledge the awfulness of it all but don't stop there...they go on to give hope for the Joy that comes in the morning.

I have always loved hearing life stories...especially stories that don't deny the pain of life, but go beyond the pain to hope, strength, faith, courage, and joy as the story plays out. Stories like Paula D'Arcy's who's husband and daughter were killed by a drunk driver, and Immaculee Ilibagiza's who survived the Rwandan Genocide when none of her other family members living in Rwanda did. Most of us have either been touched by tragedy directly or have dear friends or family who have. Sometimes all we can do is sit in the pain with that person. I am thankful for my family and the many friends who have allowed me to grieve in the ways I have needed to...which often don't make sense to those who love you or even to yourself.

I hope this blog will offer encouragement to those of you sitting in darkness or those who just need to remember to take off your sunglasses. "...weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5