To Everything There Is a Season
The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that
“there is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens
a time to be born and a time to die. . .
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance”
Over the past few weeks at Lynchburg College we have experienced a season with more than our share of death and loss, sorrow and grief as we continue to mourn the deaths of Nick Johnson and Melissa Smith. At times the sadness has seemed overwhelming for our small close knit community. The halls of McWane and Montgomery are quieter now without their conversation and laughter. The athletic fields and the dell are emptier without their playful presence. Our hearts are broken, especially for those most deeply affected by their loss – family members and close friends.
In the midst of such a season of sadness what are we to do? How are we to respond? There are no easy answers and so we struggle to make sense of it all. Two young people so full of promise and potential are taken from our midst and so we ask – where is God in all of this? For me, pious platitudes fall short. All I really know about God is that God is love and that if we look for God in the midst of a season of pain, we will find God where love is found.
I felt God’s presence in the midst of the candlelight vigil for Nick Johnson as hundreds of students filled the chapel and remembered their friend, hall mate, and teammate with fondness, tears, and laughter.
I felt God’s presence as I watched a bus fill up at midnight so that LC students and a staff member could travel through the night to share in the funeral for Nick and to bring LC comfort to his grieving family.
I felt God’s presence as I met with Melissa’s parents and brother at her visitation and funeral and felt the unconditional love, affection, and devotion they had for each other and for Melissa and which they shared with all of us from LC who were able to be with them at such a difficult time.
I felt God’s presence speaking with Melissa’s friends as they shared stories of this beloved young woman and made t-shirts in her memory and created ribbons and bracelets in her honor and as they planned a very personal, poignant, and moving Celebration of Life service to be held on Tuesday, the 26th at 7 p.m. in the chapel.
I believe that God has been weeping with us in our tears and holding us close in our sorrow. I believe that God is love and that if we lean into each other with love, tenderness, and compassion during this difficult season we will eventually find our way into a season of rebirth, laughter, and dancing. And when we get there, we will feel Nick and Melissa right beside us where they have been all along.
Peace, Anne