Swallowed up by Life
Being swallowed up by something has a negative connotation for me. Being overwhelmed or devoured so that you lose control or are at the mercy of something else: think Jonah and the whale. The busy-ness of back to school or a particularly busy time at work can certainly swallow us up. We can be swallowed up by a storm, media-induced or meteorological. We can be swallowed up by grief. For this stay-at-home, home-educating, mom of an exceptional needs son, my quotidian mind-numbing cares sometimes swallow me whole. my peaceful place this summer But I have been reading 2nd Corinthians and Paul's use of the phrase, "swallowed up by life" intrigues me. The context is that though we don't want to be rid of this earthly body, we desire to be further clothed in the righteousness of Christ so that what is " mortal may be swallowed up by life " (5:4b). That sounds a little scary to me. However, Paul goes on to say that the one who prepared us for this ve