There is Peace in the Wait
Christmas is in a few short days and I am curled up in a hospital chair, my bed these past five nights, pondering death. Across from me lays an amazing woman, my mother-in-law, who, once she departs this hospice room, will be enjoying her life after death. The atmosphere and energy within this room is good.
Our reaction to death is a funny thing. We say, “They’ve gone on to a better place.” Yet we deeply grieve as though we doubt our own words. The passing on from the seen to the unseen isn’t often felt in our hearts as a celebration, and the loss which torments us becomes greatly burdensome to our health; mental, physical, and spiritual.
The Gift of Life After Death
Christ’s birth was a gift to mankind. It ensures life after death for those who believe in His saving grace. Therefore, the dying process, or death itself, can be a time of rejoicing, reflecting, and thanksgiving, rather than distress.
With Jesus’ birth, the fulfillment of law and the path for a New Way of living united with God emerged. Now, forgiven and freed, darkness has no hold on our lives. We don’t need to be tormented by the effects of our poor actions, nor those done against us. Sin no longer reigns, but even greater, we have opportunity to become filled with God’s Spirit that allows us to live eternally.
Don’t Wait for Death to Know God
Born in a stable and laid in a manger, our humble King emerged victorious. He entered our world already having won. Jesus gave us the gift of life after death, but it doesn’t need to begin at our earthly death. It can start now.
While turning to God and growing in an intimate relationship with Him, He leads us into the Kingdom. We enter heaven while living this earthly life. In this manner, we need not anticipate death to meet the Lord, because we can know Him now.
Celebrate the Passing on to Eternity
With this understanding, we can celebrate while we stand vigil at a loved one’s hospice bedside, prepare funeral arrangements after loss, and absorb all the love expressed during services in honor of a passed precious soul. God is with them as they step into the next realm. He is with us while we transition to a new life without them.
We can celebrate and endure such tragic times with God’s strength and peace. We can continue on living a full life after our loved one has passed. God is the source that provides us such freedom through His Spiritual perspective.
Allow God to Comfort You
If you have lost someone you love, or if you do at some point, turn to God with your grief. Allow Him to comfort you and fill you with His joy. He can reveal so much to you that you wouldn’t otherwise experience or understand. Let Him bolster your faith, grow to trust Him even more, and you might be surprised when a smile crosses your face in remembrance, rather than the hardened discord of anger or grief.
The birth that gifts us life after death also brings life to those who are struggling with loss. God is in all aspects of mortal death, eternity, and spirituality. Look to Him, seek connection, and be amazed at all He can do in your heart.
God’s peace,
Rebecca
To read the powerful revelations God gave me in the midst of my own spiral into “what if” as I sat by my mother’s hospice bedside years ago, click Don’t Be Sorry.