Unreal!

April 13, 2023

Unreal!

My mother passed from this life to heaven two weeks ago (March 30).  We celebrated her life and love and quiet faith in Jesus on Tuesday, April 4.  I could not help but remember my father passed during the same week of April six years ago. 

The timing is interesting.  I am reminded of the wisdom of King Solomon.  In Ecclesiastes 3:1 he writes; “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die…”

Solomon provides a reminder that we will not live forever on this earth.  Just as we, and the people we love, are born to live on earth so we and they will die to live in heaven.  At the same time, it seems unreal that both my parents are gone.

Again, King Solomon reminds me that joy and sadness as well as celebration and loss are part of life.  In Ecclesiastes 3:4 he reminds us there is “…a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…” 

Sometimes I wish there was only laughter and dancing…only joy and celebration.  However, the last few weeks have reminded me there are also tears and sadness, weeping and grieving.  My heart hurts and my heart sings.  The collection of emotions is interesting.

Before my father passed, he was in hospice care for four months.  My mother was in hospice care for eleven months. 

Hospice care provides an opportunity to say things we may have wanted to say for a very long time but just did not make the time or have the courage.  Hospice care reminds me to be fully present to those I love today and to say what I need to say now.

Hospice care provides an invitation to have spiritual conversations.  During their season of hospice care, I read from the Bible and I prayed with my parents.  I spoke to them about God’s forgiveness and the salvation we have when we place our faith in Jesus.  I sat quietly with them as I contemplated the amazing grace of God, the tender mercies of Jesus, and the presence of the Holy Spirit with them.

Again, I am reminded of King Solomon’s words.  In Ecclesiastes 3:11 he tells us that God “…has made everything suitable for its time…” 

Even something like hospice care can become an invitation to speak words of love and forgiveness where before there has been regret and disappointment. 

Even something like the lingering between life and death can become an invitation to invest more deeply in our relationships with family and friends.

Even something like the dying process can become an invitation to turn to Jesus in a new way and with new resolve.

The words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3:4 ring in my ears when he writes there is “…a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…”  I can still laugh with my family as we gathered at our home for Easter.  I can still laugh when my son-in-law’s foot breaks through the ice on a frozen lake on a mountain hike earlier this week.  I can still laugh when my wife says something funny (which she does often!). 

At the same time, there are tears that flow when I think of my mother being gone.  I am still physically and emotionally exhausted from the three weeks in which she lingered before passing through the doorway of death.  At the same time, there is delight in my heart in knowing she is in heaven with Jesus and my dad. 

When we grieve, so much seems so unreal. 

My response is to take delight in the Lord…His love, His grace, His strength, His wisdom, His timing, His mercy, His comfort, His glory, His acceptance, His sacrifice, His faith in me.  Taking delight in the Lord is the best source of healing for my heart, my mind, my soul, and my body.

When something seems unreal, I invite you to take some time to take delight in the Lord God.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug