I remember reflecting recently on the story of Lazarus, so when I saw this Gospel, I wasn’t sure I had many more thoughts on the matter of raising someone from the dead. It is awe-inspiring to be sure. Absolutely worthy of our veneration. But what else is in here? The first thing I noticed is that Jesus is moved by the woman’s situation. His pity moves him to perform the compassionate act of raising her son from the dead. This loving image of God is the one I choose to pray to. I have long struggled with defaulting to the foreboding, all-knowing, disciplinarian image of God. But there are SO many images of God we can pray to! It has been a lovely experience to see how praying with different images of God changes my prayer life. Furthermore, He tells the woman not to weep. Now I don’t know about you, but when I am upset and someone tells me to stop being upset, that usually makes things worse. However, I think it is important to further think about the meaning here. He does not want her to weep because He sees the whole of her life. We are often short-sighted when something bad happens to us- I know I am! It is also hard to come to terms with the fact that even the negative things in our lives are part of God’s plan for us. He does not make mistakes. I wouldn’t say that we should always look for the greater meaning within our trials, but I do think it would help to remind ourselves sometimes that these difficulties are just chapters in our story. They will end. Notice, too, that the people were afraid after seeing the miracle. All this reminds me that only God knows what is best for us- the good AND the bad. Life is full of uncertainty. Maybe it is my stage of life right now, but sometimes it feels like the only constant is change! Therefore, Lord, I ask you for the peace to accept what comes my way, and the strength to rely on you, for only you fully know my life. Help me to always keep you as my first priority, and trust in your plan whether the current season of my life is good or bad.