Westminster Confessions

This weekend when we heard about Brad Arms being killed in Iraq we were in the midst of studying for Hebrew and writing papers. We tried to get as much information as we could and to stay in touch with family and friends who shared this sad news. Mark’s done a good job of keeping his blog up to date with news.

I longed to process this and remember Brad, and his mom, and the talks we’ve had, and the ways they have served the school, church and community in Charlottesville. I wanted to recall so much. But I didn’t have the time. I had to focus on Monday morning, 9:30 am when I would have to reproduce numerous verb paradigms and be able to parse on demand. So focus I did.

But at 10:30 am today, after successfully navigating the Masoretic mess that accompanies Biblical Hebrew grammar, during our Monday morning chapel time, I could stop focusing on academics. I could take the time for tears. How good to be sad for the misery that we have in this world. How sweet to join, even at a distance, my dear friends who are grieving. And how sweet for fellow students at WTS who don’t even know Brad (and hardly know me) to just know that expressing their sorrow (some with their own tears) and giving me a hug was all I needed.

After the death of my mother last year (and the death of my father just a couple of years before that) I can appreciate the appropriateness of just crying. We don’t always need to say valiant things or continually quote scripture. Our faith isn’t shaken, we just weep as good friends do when sad things happen. We want an embrace. I think I’m in good company–even Jesus wept for his friend when he died.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 22nd, 2004 at 10:21 pm and is filed under General, The Rest of Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.