Seek What Will Last Forever

My mom would have been 92 today. She’s been with Jesus for about 5 1/2 years. What would she say to her family? 

Love each other!
Help each other.
Forgive.
Seek Jesus.
Show mercy.

Life is short! Live for what’s eternal.

What matters is God, people, and living for Jesus. Everything else will be gone in the blink of an eye. Earthly things will turn to dust. Money, accomplishments, possessions, honors, success will last as long as a flower in spring. Seek what will last forever:

Intimacy with Christ.
His truth revealed in the Holy Bible.
Loving people.
God’s will above all.

Help me Father! Help me live for what is eternal. Life is so brief. I don’t have time to waste. Lead me in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Change my heart where it needs to be changed. 

Holy Spirit help me submit to You and resist selfish living. I can’t live this way in my strength alone. Thank You for Your promise in 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

Thank You that one day I will be with my mom in heaven. Until then may your will be done in and through me. 

Fleeting Days

Days
passing
rushing
slipping through fingers
fleeting
the wind blows
and my place will be no more
like fog in the morning
yet my spirit
will live on forever
forgotten on earth
known in heaven
more fully
then ever before.

Lesson From the Coffin

Yesterday was Father’s Day. My dad has been gone from earth for almost 20 years! I loved him much and his death was the first one that rocked my world. I wrote this at the time after seeing him in his coffin for the first time. It still teaches me today:

As I see your face there in the coffin,

one so dear to me…

The reality hits hard.

You’re truly gone.

Death does come.

If death has taken you, it will also take me.

It will take each one I know.

You’ve left this earth.

There is your lifeless body.

No movement.

No sound.

It’s the lack of sound that pricks my heart the most.

The body you left behind is an empty shell.

Where is your spirit?

Where is the living being that was you?

Praise God! You are with Jesus.

I can know your spirit lives because you trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ.

You accepted His payment for your sins.

Seeing your body teaches me this world is not my home.

This is hard to grasp but true.

We are here such a brief time.

You used to talk about how your life was just a breath, a vapor.

Now I see how true that is.

You were here such a short time though it was 81 years.

Those years were just a blink of the eye.

Will I accept this reality?

Will I live for what is eternal?

It’s so tempting to live for the moment, enjoy myself, be comfortable,

check items off my list without thought of eternity.

If I allow myself to see the shortness of time,

will I change anything?

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

“How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.”James 4:14 (NLT)

‘Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

Perspective

Life on earth is a mist,

A puff of air.

A flower that blooms for a day.

Eternity is forever.

Never-ending,

With no end.

 

We are a moment in time.

A drop in the ocean.

 

What matters most?

 

Are we ready for eternity?

Are we prepared for what will never end?

Being prepared for our few years here is good, important.

Being prepared for eternity is essential.

It cannot be compared to what is happening on this earth.

 

The only tragedy is to leave here unprepared.

 

How can I be ready?

Jesus is the only way.

He opened the only door.

All we need is to believe in Him.

Trust His love.

Believe He died to make it possible to live with Him forever.

Where there will be no more sorrow, pain, tragedy, or loss.

It’s a free gift.

Grace.

Unmerited favor.

 

He will make all things new.

He will make everything okay.

He has redeemed us.

We only need to believe and receive His love.

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” Acts 16:31

 

One Last Tear

My mom’s breath began to slow. It was 10 seconds between breaths, then 20, and then 30. There was one last breath. I realized that the first sound I heard on this earth, my mom’s heartbeat, was about to stop. Sobbing, my two sisters and I clung to our mom as a tear rolled down her cheek. Then her spirit was gone. In an instant, her body became an empty shell. As I gripped her hand, it became as lifeless as an empty glove.

One last tear was shed.

Did she cry for her daughters who were hurting? Did she cry at having to say goodbye? Maybe it was a happy tear as the veil was torn away and she saw glory. My sisters and I believe she shed a tear for us. She loved us well and with all her heart. In that moment, it was clear that this body we live in is just temporary housing. When her spirit left, the body was just an empty tent left behind. She wasn’t there anymore.

It had been a difficult ten weeks. From the time my mom first fell and broke her hip and then faced one setback after another. She finally was put on hospice and we sat by her side for a week as her body slowly weakened. Here are some thoughts I meditated on as I sat by her side:

Dying is hard.

Regret is devastating.

Moments are fleeting.

Opportunities pass.

There’s a last time for everything on earth.

Seize the moment.

Love well.

Make eye contact while you can.

Say I love you often.

A person’s tent is just that – a tent not the person.

Jesus conquered death.

Hug while you can.

Grief will not be rushed.

Grief stops time.

Rushing doesn’t improve life.

Trust requires patience.

Trust is shown in a gentle and quiet spirit.

Waiting patiently requires us to stop and be quiet.

Faith is the evidence of things NOT seen. It’s trusting without seeing.

I wrote this as I sat with her that morning:

This is probably the last time I will hold my mama’s hand.

Let me hold your hand one more time.

Feel your touch.

See your face.

I will always love you.

Always have you in my heart.

You’re my mom.

My dear heart.

You loved me fiercely and were always glad to see me.

“Hi sweetheart!”

“Hi Darlin!”

“Love you so much.”

These will echo in my mind.

Soon Mama, you will never have another pain.

Never be lonely again.

You will know everlasting joy and see the face of Jesus!

Strong, stoic, hardworking, determined,

Giving, generous.

Loved by many.

She loved us with a fierce love.

She was so proud of her girls.

She is with Jesus.

Singing, rejoicing and praising.

Free from suffering, pain and loneliness.

Free of guilt, hurt and sorrow.

Life is a mist, a vapor,

a puff of smoke,

a flower that blooms in the morning and dies at night.

Live purposefully.

Live intentionally.

Walk with Jesus.

Follow His voice.

Simplify, listen and just follow.

“As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” Psalm 103:15-16 (ESV)

“What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” James 4:14b (ESV)

“’O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (ESV)

I originally published this at Internet Cafe Devotions