Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Three weeks….




Stood still like a moment in time,

Yet so much changed,

Lives re-arranged...







“Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

(James 4:13-14)


~



Three weeks ago, my father in law was fine (or so we all thought); Then we received news that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the esophagus. It was too late to stop this aggressive cancer. This began a steady decline and before we knew it, three weeks passed by in a flash and he was gone.


On the one hand, we believe that God was merciful in taking him quickly. He did not suffer long. He did not linger. On the other hand, we wish, oh how we wish, we had more time.


Despite our grief over our loss, we have no regrets because we had a loving relationship. For years, every single visit, every conversation ended with “God bless you and I love you”. He was a gentle man who was tender toward all; a good listener; an encourager; a faithful man; strong, yet highly sensitive; wise and confident, yet humble.


He was a wonderful father and a friend to many who were grateful to have known and loved him. He will be sorely missed, yet we are confident that we will see him again...



On Glory's Side

No tears appear on glory's side,
Nothing to fear; no reason to hide,
For glory is a safe and wondrous home,

All cares are vanished like a vapor,
And fears are swept off with the wind,
All questions now are being answered,
No more doubts and no more sin...

How beautiful is this sweet sweet glory,
How bright and full of life,
Love surrounds us pure and holy,
No more pain and no more strife,

Oh glory how I ached for you,
Before I really understood,
That glory is a wondrous home
Of peace and brotherhood.

And so dear friends there is a plan,
Don't fear what lies on glory's side.
But grab hold of glory's hand,
And in God's care and love abide.

For tears are gone and joy remains,
On the side of glory,
The celebration can't be explained
Or written in a story.

It's only when you've crossed the line
Into glory's care,
That you'll finally understand
How perfect it is there.

So grab hold of glory's hand,
And in God's care and love abide,
And trust the master's perfect plan,
To find your home on glory's side.

(written by Lorraine Brown/copyright 2006)

~

On our journey from the funeral home to the cemetery, a gentle snow began. The large, puffy flakes were like feathers floating before our windshield. Snowflakes continued to slowly dance before our faces throughout our final goodbye at the grave-site. It was peaceful. I remarked at how pure it was and we reflected on the scriptures and how snow symbolizes purity.





“Has thou entered into the treasures of the snow” Job 38:22


“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” Isaiah 1:18


“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7



We also reflected on how God provides these moments as gentle reminders that His grace flows freely and His loving hand is upon us through it all.


~


Three weeks have come and gone…  
Like a flash;  a blink of an eye; a vapor…
and so much has changed...


~

THREE WEEKS


~


  “the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh.”
(Psalm 90:9)

“So teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely.”
(Psalm 90:12)

~

“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord,"and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 8: 9-10)



 




18 comments:

mangiabella said...

oh bella what a powerful post...such beauty and grace amidst the tears...yes, on glory's side! my heart and prayers and tears are with you right now...and praying for His Shalom to surround all of you ~ John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." xoxo

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

So sorry for your loss...your words say it beautifully! Blessings to you all and prayers as as you walk this side of heaven without him.

Your comment on my light-hearted post was what I got from that little song...you are the only one to comment on that song, and yet, that was what stopped me in my tracks that day and I cried out the Lord..."oh Lord as a society we are missing it by being too busy".

Hugs and prayers to you dear one.

Teresa said...

O...the King of Peace is so revealed in this poem you posted...God bless you as you exercise those gifts from Him...so expressive and vivid with life even in the midst of physical death. Your father-in-law revealed a beautiful glimpse of our Father God. In the midst of his death, his spiritual life through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit is manfiested through this glorious post!
Thank you so much for letting us see the handiwork of God through this man who journeyed this earth so gracefully touching the lives of those he encountered.
In closing, thank you for stopping by and following my blog (God Is Enthralled By Your Beauty) My regular blog is triumphantvictoriousreminders.blogspot.com. You are so beautiful, lovely and filled with the compassion of God that comes forth with incredible passion!

Kim Turnage said...

You are so blessed that the relationship was strong, loving, and God-drenched. The peace and purity you experienced in that snow was a gift from God. May it sustain you in the weeks to come.

Unknown said...

I have no words, my friend. This is a beautiful tribute to your father-in-law. You and your family continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs to you.

Toyin O. said...

I am so sorry to hear about this Lorainne; this is just tragic, I am praying for you and your family. I am so glad you guys had a great relationship with him, he sounds like an awesome person and he is now with Jesus. Xoxo

Deborah said...

So glad I found you through Susans blog...what a beautiful and peace-filled blog you have.
Im your newest follower (purehunnybee).
Looking forward to knowing you better...:)

Deborah \0/

Cherie Hill said...

Found your blog over at Teresa's blog. So glad I did . . . I'll be praying for all of you through this loss. The Lord is merciful in many ways. His love is unfailing. His grace is sufficient.
Blessings,
Cherie

God Is Enthralled By Your Beauty said...

Lorraine...you have no idea how blessed I was to see you come over visit me yesterday!!! I had to come back over and see if you had posted anything else yet! Thanik you for your encouraging words and for your passionate love for our God! You were sent over to me as God's embrace over me...so awesome!!! You are lovely, Teresa

amber waves of grain said...

So sorry for your loss. Praying for you... Your words are beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with us.

Unknown said...

Oh friend I know what you mean.. My mom when into the hospital the day after my dads funeral.. and then us kids went right into "Take care of Mom " mode..she bouted with Daibiets as well as congestive heart failure.. which is not pretty,,when some one is begging for breath and there is nothing you can do..
But God was so gracious to her and to us kids..
All of us kids (4 of us) had a WONDERFUL visit with her one day..all at different times of the day..just one on one with her.. and then during her sleep she had a stroke and never woke up again.. As much as we missed her and didnt want her to go,,we knew she was back w our dad and that she didnt suffer, and we all got a special time with her beforehand,,
Thanks for sharing your story,, sorry for your loss..and it makes us realize just how easy God can take us when HE is ready..
God Bless.. have a great weekend my friend..

Summer said...

Wow ....A very powerful poem .... We have never met however we are sisters in CHRIST and that is all that matters ..... In this mornings church service we talked about the book of ECCLESIASTES and how our life is a vapor ....Praise the LORD JESUS that your relationship with your father-in-law was loving and tender and mostly that he is with JESUS now .....And one more thing is that as christians we can look forward to the day when we all are together with the LORD JESUS in heaven ( not that we want to leave here right now but when we do we have a blessed assurance ) I will lift you and yours to the LORD ......Rest well .

Sierra said...

so sorry for your loss, but i'm so glad that He is with his Father in heaven! what a beautiful poem and i love all of the verses, praying for you and giving you a bloggy hug!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I am so sorry. That was very fast but I am glad he didnt' have to suffer for a long time. ((HUGS))

Sonya Lee Thompson said...

What a bittersweet post. Your natural grace shines through as you have woven a lovely tribute to both God and your father-in-law.

Praying for God's peace as you enter a year of first's without him.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubles and do not be afraid."

Sonya Lee

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

My heart and prayers are with you as you walk through these mellow days of mourning. May God's rich reminders of his presence surround you all at every turn. These are good days to be his kingdom people--a people knowing that this world is but our dress rehearsal for God's "next."

peace~elaine

Deborah Ann said...

I think us Northerners forget the significance of snow. We forget that each flake is uniquely designed - no two are alike.

We see how snow stops traffic, how it slows down our travels and how it adds to our inconveniences. But...

That famous quote on snow (can't remember where I saw that) says that one snowflake won't change anything, but all the snowflakes added together can change a life, a city, a nation.

How beautiful the picture God impacts in the snow for you, for your loved one. He was special...he was one of a kind...he was in the body of believers that will join together in the Kingdom and await your arrival...

A single snowflake...a one-of-a-kind miracle...

... from Marie Z said...

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. There is a silver lining to this cloud, and that is the memories. The wonderful memories will continue and bless all of you. Do not take those memories for granted. Not all of us have those to help us through troubled times. But, we all have the opportunity to have the blessings of our Father in heaven during all times. Love, Marie Z.

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