I was sweeping my front porch when I got the call.
At 2:30 in the afternoon yesterday, you had the Best Day of your life.
And we’re devastated.
The air left my lungs and my head spun as your name swirled through my brain- someone was telling me you were Gone.
It hurt and the pain sank in my chest as I reached out to friends we were close to- begging them for prayers of peace and comfort for your family left behind here without you.
My eyes were hot and my throat ached as I came inside to tell the kids your News. It was when I sat down in my living room- the same place you’d always sit on Fridays for our Bible Class- it was THEN that I really lost it. Picturing you, sitting right there where a kiddo was snuggled under a blanket and knowing that you’d never drink coffee in my kitchen again broke me on a level I can’t explain. My heart has a hole in it.
But yesterday- you left me with a Gift.
Because instead of staying there, in our tears and in our pain- YOU LET US WORSHIP. You let us praise Him in our grief for the Promise of salvation that you had just laid hold of hours earlier. You gave me another chance to teach my kids The Gospel in it’s most intended way. YOU LET THEM EXPERIENCE HOPE. As they stopped, and thought, and listened to me explain to them His Plan for death, and the Victory we’ve been given through it- the room changed. The heaviness lifted. Our spirits lightened.
We began to laugh as we spoke of you. In Heaven. With Jesus. RIGHT NOW. Imagining what amazing comfort and perfection you were seeing. Wondering who else was there with you. If you had seen King David or Abraham or Martha yet. (The kids have questions by the way. We should start making a list.)
We talked about how much God loves you. How glad He must have been to welcome you Home yesterday afternoon. And how, when we become Christians WE GET TO MEET YOU THERE. To have someone they know leave, and to watch them realize that they’ll get to see them again BY FOLLOWING IN THE PATH YOU MADE- that’s the greatest gift you’ve ever given.
My kids know you are waiting for them. And they can’t wait to see you again. Thank you for giving me the gift of The Gospel through your life and service and dedication to Christ.
We are broken for your family left behind. We are hollow and shattered. Our lives are irreparably fractured by our loss. We will comfort and care for your family here. We will make sure they don’t walk alone. But we will rejoice with you- knowing that this isn’t goodbye. It’s “Come and meet me here.”
And that’s the kind of gift I want to give someday, too.
At 2:30 in the afternoon yesterday, you had the Best Day of your life.
And we’re devastated.
The air left my lungs and my head spun as your name swirled through my brain- someone was telling me you were Gone.
It hurt and the pain sank in my chest as I reached out to friends we were close to- begging them for prayers of peace and comfort for your family left behind here without you.
My eyes were hot and my throat ached as I came inside to tell the kids your News. It was when I sat down in my living room- the same place you’d always sit on Fridays for our Bible Class- it was THEN that I really lost it. Picturing you, sitting right there where a kiddo was snuggled under a blanket and knowing that you’d never drink coffee in my kitchen again broke me on a level I can’t explain. My heart has a hole in it.
But yesterday- you left me with a Gift.
Because instead of staying there, in our tears and in our pain- YOU LET US WORSHIP. You let us praise Him in our grief for the Promise of salvation that you had just laid hold of hours earlier. You gave me another chance to teach my kids The Gospel in it’s most intended way. YOU LET THEM EXPERIENCE HOPE. As they stopped, and thought, and listened to me explain to them His Plan for death, and the Victory we’ve been given through it- the room changed. The heaviness lifted. Our spirits lightened.
We began to laugh as we spoke of you. In Heaven. With Jesus. RIGHT NOW. Imagining what amazing comfort and perfection you were seeing. Wondering who else was there with you. If you had seen King David or Abraham or Martha yet. (The kids have questions by the way. We should start making a list.)
We talked about how much God loves you. How glad He must have been to welcome you Home yesterday afternoon. And how, when we become Christians WE GET TO MEET YOU THERE. To have someone they know leave, and to watch them realize that they’ll get to see them again BY FOLLOWING IN THE PATH YOU MADE- that’s the greatest gift you’ve ever given.
My kids know you are waiting for them. And they can’t wait to see you again. Thank you for giving me the gift of The Gospel through your life and service and dedication to Christ.
We are broken for your family left behind. We are hollow and shattered. Our lives are irreparably fractured by our loss. We will comfort and care for your family here. We will make sure they don’t walk alone. But we will rejoice with you- knowing that this isn’t goodbye. It’s “Come and meet me here.”
And that’s the kind of gift I want to give someday, too.
What a sweet, beautiful post. I am so sorry for your loss and will be praying for all that loved her. I can hardly wait for the day we are all reunited and grief is no more.
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