Lincoln and religion

[Dr. Todd Descendant]

Okay, you've all lured me into your small community with the evident civility with which you express yourselves. Religious belief is such a tender area of anyone's existence, and yes, I think faith can move from the shallows to the deep with our experiences and study. I don't think we can fathom what it truly means to suffer the loss of a child like Abe and Jim Garrett unless we ourselves have experienced it. I've only observed it from the sidelines when a very close friend lost her son.

She too passed into Glory two months ago, and I believe the comfort my Christian faith affords was brought clear as I shared news of her passing with the members of my local church. I began saying, "I lost a friend a few days ago", and then caught myself and went on to say, "No I haven't. I know exactly where she is". Perhaps Abe was able to hold onto that comfort of seeing those he loved again. Whether he maintained a formal membership in a particular local church or not is not bothersome to me. Although I treasure the way the members of our church hold each other up in prayer, and offer other means of support, I think maturity in faith can provide the knowledge that we can fall into the arms of a loving God as well. I hope I'm not getting TOO churchy. I'd hate to wear out my welcome this soon.