new life
Things die: people die; relationships die; pets die; dreams die; plants die. A seed has to die for a flower to grow. Jesus said, "...unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." ~John 12:24
Things die: people die; relationships die; pets die; dreams die; plants die. A seed has to die for a flower to grow. Jesus said, "...unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." ~John 12:24
Jesus died. Drops of bloody sacrifice seeped into the cracks of earth and caused it to shake. Christ's body broke and split the veil that separated people from God. Each blood drop on a sinner's head provides passage through the veil and into the Glory. Beholding His Glory, we are transformed.
If things don't die, new things can't be born and grow. A person dies to make room for a baby. A relationship is lopped off and the seeping sap hurts, awaiting a new, grafted in branch. A branch weighted with dead fruit clinging to a living tree saps strength. The tree, holding onto the dead branch, prevents luscious, new fruit from springing forth.
"It is important to look at death because it is a part of life. It is a sad thing, melancholic but romantic at the same time. It is the end of a cycle--everything has to end. The cycle of life is positive because it gives room for new things." ~Alexander McQueen
Death must be repurposed to feed life. The Rwandan Genocide killed nearly 1 million people. Rotting flesh and blood seeped into a nation that was hungry for renewal. The dead cry out from the ground, "Let not our deaths have been in vain!" Rwanda is crawling with non-governmental organizations from all over the world, seeking to redeem what was lost.
The singer/songwriter glory days were the 1970's in Los Angeles, California at the Troubadour, the venue that launched the movement. In an American Masters documentary*, James Taylor reflects back on the golden era that he shared with Carole King, "Things don't last forever. none of these things are meant to."
Death provides contrast to life, as joy does to sorrow. How would one know the power of joy without the contrast of pain and is it possible to celebrate and appreciate life if there is no death? The best black and white photography is full of contrast, as are the most purposeful and powerful lives. A sepia-toned photograph might be easy to look at, but is not an accurate refelction of reality. Neither is a sepia-toned life.
