Edina Hall

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, 

When I was a little girl, I used to get scared as I fell asleep. I’d call for my mom, which would wake up my sister with whom I shared the room causing her to yell, too. Sometimes, my other two sisters in the next room would “help” if my mom didn’t come fast enough. Eventually and without fail, my mother would come, ask me what was wrong, and then silently sit by my bedside and stroke my forehead until I fell asleep.  

I don’t remember what it was that caused the frights in my mind. Maybe it was a conversation we had over the dinner table that night. Maybe it was something that happened at school. Maybe it was some comment from a sibling being devious. Maybe my 7-year-old life was just too hard.  

As I read the passage appointed for today, I was reminded of those fearful sleeps and tenderness of my mother. John writes in the book of Revelation: “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3b-4) 

Life can be hard… and sorrowful… and painful…and all those deep emotions that come with it—even for a child. It can be easy to wallow in them all and let them disrupt your sleep…disrupt your life. There is this promise, however, that God dwells among us, wiping away tears, comforting us when we mourn and relieving our pain. Making everything new. 

Like a mother comforting a child—only much, much more.  

And we don’t have to yell. (Although we can if we need to.) 

—Edina