Love. Twuuee Love.

I was watching Westside story a few weeks ago with some friends, when one of them piped up and said "They both die in the end, right?" The common consensus was "Yes, they [the lovers] both die." After a pause, another friend remarked "Well, that's dumb." There was a moment of flabbergasted silence, then we all burst out laughing. We could see her point. Short lived love is almost right up there with unrequited love; just not as fashionable as it used to be in Shakespearian times. We would prefer a "Happily Ever After" story over a tragedy.
Some of the greatest love stories in the world are tragic. I admit that. Name off just about any one of them and there is going to be some element of things-gone-awry: one person dying before the other (like in Braveheart), or while they are still too young (Last of the Mohicans, Westside Story/Romeo and Juliet), or separated because of poverty or disease(The Fields of Athen Rye), or separated because of personal issues (Edward Sissor Hands, Pride and Prejudice, You Got Mail).
Of course it is the most heart wrenching of stories when one of the lovers gets left behind by the other lover. When the beloved dies and things are left unsaid; undone; the whole storyline seems shattered. I usually cry when I get to the part in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe where Aslan dies. The White Witch raises her stone knife in one victory blow, then tramps off. Susan and Lucy are left in the dark clueless about what to do next. Their love is lying dead and silent on a stone table. What hope do they have left for the future? Of course, all this changes in the story when dawn has broken.
I'm thankful that the foundation for Christianity isn't based on a tragic love story. Last week I was reminded about the radical aspect of Christ's resurrection. Yes he died, but YES He lives. Christ's followers are not confined to visiting a tomb of a good man or teacher. We're not left expressing our love and devotion to someone who cannot hear us. There are tragic aspects to the redemptive story, but the ending is stellar.

Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy."