Skip to main content

Life and Death

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

My sister, Rachel, is gone now. She died last Wednesday, March 18. I received a phone call from my family earlier that day to let me know the time was short. I changed my plans and left for Tennessee. I was there for about three hours before she died. I was able to hold her hand, pray for her, sing to her and just be there.

One of Rachel's biggest fears was not being able to breathe. It was awful to watch her continue this way. I consider it a blessing that at the very end of her life, her breathing became easier and more shallow until it finally stopped. It was very peaceful and I know she is finally at peace.

My husband preached the funeral. He did an awesome job and shared the story of Lazarus. A friend had sent me the scripture during this time and it had been on my mind throughout the week of her passing.

My youngest sister had her first baby three days before the death. It was a reminder of how precious life is. I am so thankful for the many prayers and support that I and my family have received during this time. I continue to be burdened for Rachel's young son, Trevor and Billy, her husband of 17 years.

She is now at peace and in no longer in pain.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thank you for sharing a very personal time in your life. I know the Lord is going to use this all for His good. You are in our prayers.

Blessings,
Julie

Popular posts from this blog

Be careful who you tell your dreams to!

I went with my son recently to see a production of Joseph and the Amazing Coat at a local community college. As I sat in the dark theater and watched the young men in the production, one of the lessons in the first part of the story hit me fresh and clear. Joseph told his dream to the wrong people at the wrong time. In his naivity, he thought his brothers would rejoice with him when he shared his dreams with them. Instead, it caused their jealous to turn to hatred of him and the favor of the father on his life. Many times in my own life, I have been too quick to share what God is showing me about the future with others. The truth is not everyone is called to share your dreams. There are circumstances and life issues people deal with that get in the way of their ability to 'rejoice with those who rejoice'. Just because you are there for other people does not mean they are capable of being there for you. Wisdom teaches us to wait and be careful about our conversation and 'the...

God's time is the right time!

This morning I got up ready for my new healthy lifestyle! I drank a big glass of water and took my vitamin, exercised, walked the dog and made a healthy breakfast. As I sat down to eat, a wave of nausea came over me and I began to shake and sweat. After I threw my healthy breakfast in the trash, I realized what had happened: I had taken my vitamin on an empty stomach. No, it didn't make me feel better this morning, but hopefully I won't make that mistake again. Now for the spiritual application.... There is an order for what God has for our lives just as there is an order for taking things like vitamins. This morning, I got ahead of myself. I was so excited about my goal to get healthy that I didn't take the time to remember the basics I already knew. God has perfect timing. I look forward in faith to what He has promised me. I believe with everything in me that this is the year I will begin to see His promises and plans for me fulfilled. He is lining everything up ...

Life Choices

One fine Sunday morning, a man was walking with his family to church when he heard an awful commotion coming from behind the church. He sent his family on it and went to see what was going on. To his surprise, he saw the devil sitting on the ground moaning and crying something awful. "What in the world is wrong with you?" he asked the devil. "You won't believe what they're blaming me for in there." was his answer. Now, I know this story has A LOT of faulty theology but stay with me as I make my point! There are so many things in our life that we deal with that are a result of our own bad choices. When you think about the fact that every one of us is allowed to make our own choices in life, it is mindboggling. I know sometimes it seems it would be easier if we could force those that we care about to make good choices. It is so hard to see people that we love hitting their heads against a brick wall over and over again wondering why the wall won't move, bu...