Moments

Read this today and I was struck by its truth:

'Henri Nouwen once suggested that we would all live happier lives if we accepted this, unalterable, truth: "Our life is a short time in expectation, a time in which sadness and joy kiss each other at every moment. There is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our life. It seems that there is no such thing as a clear-cut pure joy, but that even in the most happy satisfaction, there is an awareness of limitations. In every success, there is the fear of jealousy. Behind every smile, there is a distance. And in all forms of light, there is the knowledge of surrounding darkness. But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death can point us beyond the limits of our existence. It can do so by making us look forward in expectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take away from us."

At first glance, this statement can seem somewhat negative--sort of like, "I can never be happy." But because of the temporary nature of this life and the way that the human existence is every tainted by sin and brokenness, I cannot deny that it is true. The joy of reuniting with a friend that you know you will have to painfully say goodbye to again. The pain of disappointed expectations and the joy of new hopes fulfilled. The joy of the present moment and pain that it will not last. Yet there is a hope that one day we will experience joy in its fullness. When Jesus will wipe every tear from our eyes as we experience him face to face. I cannot wait for that day.