https://odb.org/MY/2023/05/31/sorrow-and-joy
Ezra 3, which was the first wave of the return of 80,000 Jews in exile, chronicles the joy of rebuilding the Temple of the LORD. Ezra and his fellow Levites worshipped and praised the LORD with their cymbals and vestments (robes) as the builders laid the foundations to rebuild the Temple. But the older Israelites wept aloud when they saw the scene as they remembered the Temple in its glory while others shouted for joy. It was a mixture of sadness and tears of having lost but the joy of a new beginning. In the modern context, this scene reminds me of a funeral of a faithful believer – as his loved ones and fellow comrades in the faith mourn his passing, they also rejoice in him being with Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith knowing that if they keep to the path, they will see him again one day.
We just spoke yesterday about God restoring what the locusts had devoured, https://ronnielim.com/2023/05/30/god-who-restores/. Ezra 3 speaks of the same in that while our hearts are broken by the loss, we rejoice in the new beginning. It may or may never be the same as old, but we are thankful and grateful to rebuild something new. Most importantly, it was the Lord who gave us a fresh start at another place, a new canvass to draw and paint our dreams and aspirations as the Lord guides and directs. It was the Lord who gave, and that’s special because that means He loves and cares for us.
Today marks the first anniversary of my last day at my former workplace, the organisation I had given my early adulthood to for nearly 27 years. I had fond memories, and even as what is happening to the matters I used to handle still interests me, I am not looking back. I am focusing my gaze ahead to the fresh path the Lord has carved out for me.
If we look back, we sometimes cry at the loss as we remember the past in all of its glory. We are heartbroken by the fleeting memory and expediency of people. But thank God, God and our loved ones love us not any less, and neither do they think any lesser of us. We are still heroes in their hearts. There are new horizons to look at, new sunsets and new sunrises. New roads to explore, new beginnings to rebuild and regrow. We shall be like that sunflower growing in the middle of a desolate highway. With God standing with us, we will stand tall for His glory!
Ronnie's Thoughts 