Today was kind of a bittersweet day...we found out a good friend is expecting a new life, our Grandpa is at the end of his life (only a very short time left) and some dear friends who have been at our church for over four months are moving on to someplace else (her husband's work takes them to many different places). Days like this always cause me to be still and ponder. One thing is for sure in life and that is....that life always changes. Everyday life begins and ends, people come and go and life just keeps changing. In the case of our Grandpa...he and Grandma have been married for over 59 years. I wonder what it must be like to one day wake up and the person you have had by your side for almost all your life is no longer there. No more hand to hold, no more smile to look at, no more gentle laugh or sweet voice to listen to (by the way they had a fantastic marriage...one of love and sacrifice). Sometimes when death is near it makes us think about the things that are most important...the things that really matter.
In the case of our Grandpa...he isn't really dying. In fact, he is going to be really alive for the first time in his life. No more pain or death for him. It's all uphill from this point. You see all of us are dying everyday. Do you ever think about that? All of our lives are winding down. Sure we don't often think about it and perhaps we don't want to dwell on death all the time, but then again...maybe it would help us keep perspective.
This evening we had a going away party for our dear friends (who feel like family)...but perhaps in heaven they are preparing a "coming home" celebration for our Grandpa and all the other believers who will pass through Heaven's gate..."Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."
So with all these changes and the sometimes sad or happy feelings they bring, I am reminded once again...that this life is only a dream...Heaven is reality. We are strangers and pilgrims passing through a foreign land on our way towards home. If we are Christians we should never really feel "at home" in this world. I think the loss we sometimes feel when change comes is really just the imprint on the heart of a Christian that this world is not our home. We all are seeking that home which "God prepared for us before the world began..."
So while the world keeps changing and rearranging...God is still the same... and Heaven is still Home for the believer. The old saying "Home Sweet Home" will take on a whole new meaning in Heaven. There will be no more sickness, no more death and no more good byes to friends we love so dear. When we enter Heaven's gate we will breathe a sigh and our hearts will say "Now...you are finally home."
