We love you, Jesus

Whenever I whip out Ruby Sue, I immediately rush to listen to the Shane and Shane album Pages. Over the past week or so, the lyrics from the song "We Love You, Jesus" have been resounding in my brain:

We love you, Jesus

For so many reasons

For death and life and freedom

Even now we love You

We love you Jesus

In and out of seasons

In valleys and on top of mountains

Even now can we sing

What manner of love is this that you would say

Your sin is mine - I'll take it to the grave (then rising)

Death oh death, where is your sting today?

Death is swallowed up in victory

We love You, Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!

It is such an upbeat, joyful song- as it should be, no doubt. Yet I have not stopped thinking about and wrestling with that first part: "We love you, Jesus - For so many reasons - For death and life and freedom". Really? We love you for death? Frankly, I don't often do this. Actually, I never do this.

This past week has been a challenging one as I remembered my aunt's death on October 27, 2007. Death is not something I am thankful for, not one bit, but David reminded me - as I was vomiting my frustration and lack of understanding - that it isn't death itself that we are thankful for. It is the end of life on earth that is reason to love Jesus. It is salvation. It is eternity in paradise that we celebrate. To be honest, I really have a hard time with this. Death is so, so painful, and I haven't brushed the surface of it in my life. Even through the valley of deaths our family experienced last fall, we were so spared. And yet- I still lay awake at night and sob over regrets and missed opportunities and loss and sadness and guilt and so much hurt.

Even still- death is swallowed up in victory. Jesus conquered even death to give us life eternal. And that, my friends, is reason to love Jesus.