Why love, if losing hurts so much? I have no answers anymore: only the life I have lived. Twice in that life I've been given the choice: as a boy and as a man. The boy chose safety, the man chooses suffering. The pain now is part of the happiness then. That's the deal. - C.S. Lewis at the end of Shadowlands

Last night we learned that a family friend's six-month-old son had died suddenly earlier this week. Out of respect for the family I'm not going to go into details, other than to ask that you remember them in your prayers.

Whenever I get terrible news like this, I'm instantly brought back to the quote above: "The pain is now part of the happiness then. That's the deal." It's the final line from the 1993 film Shadowlands, the C.S. Lewis bio-pick, a film I highly recommend.

Although it's not scripture, I've often thought that this quote encapsulates the essence of following Jesus. As Christians we're called to pain as much as we're called to joy. Shadowlands and green pastures. That's the deal.

I don't have any great questions today. I just wanted to share with the Think Christian community what God has laid on my heart. Thanks for listening.