I sit today in a waiting area at a hospice house, awaiting Jesus to come and take my Beloved Grandmother home. She has been struggling with cancer and her war torn body has been struggling against this dreaded disease for the past year. Her body is but a mere shadow of who she is, but I must say, she has never been more beautiful. A bride made ready to meet her Jesus.
And today, we are counting minutes as we await the Deliverer to come and bring her to glory. I could certainly share stories of her faithfulness to the Lord and how she served Him well. I could recite the many stories that made us laugh and cry, making memories for us that bring smiles to our hearts even now. Or I could share with you the blessing of a love story between her and my grandfather, having been married 65 years, that would make you want to run and find your spouse and hold them tight.
But today, instead of sharing the details of life. I think I feel the necessity to share the details of death.
Standing in a hospice room, watching a stream of friends and family come to say goodbye, I couldn’t help but smile at the life well lived. Not because she was a good Mom, grandmother, wife or friend, although she is all those things. But instead, because she has been Jesus to all these. And even in her dying…Jesus has been made real, has been seen and is magnified. Even in her struggle, she never lost her praise and continued to thank God for His benefits.
I sang over her yesterday and read Scripture to her today. And this morning, as we gathered in her room, we paused and played Chris Tomlin’s song I WILL RISE. We stood in her room and the words rang out, “ I will Rise when He calls my name, no more sorrow, no more pain. Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed. The victory is won. He is risen from the dead….I will rise”. In those moments, the glory of the Lord descended upon her room and the Presence of our DADDY encompassed us all. With hands raised to heaven, tears flowed and voices began to sing. And yet, the beauty of the voices of angels singing Worthy is the Lamb gave us a glimpse of where my Memom will soon be. The cry of every longing heart, including hers, was singing Worthy is the Lamb. Church took place in that room. With both death and life circling, the glory of the Lord and the Presence a God that calls us to ‘Come away with Him’ enveloped our hearts. Death lingers and Eternity awaits. In death and life, Jesus is being revealed. No longer had the music stopped that prayers began to be lifted up and cries to our Father of praise and thanksgiving began to flow from the lips of those who love her. And the Father, was pleased to hear the cries of His children.
As I read to her today from Psalm 121; that HE never slumbers and is the keeper of my soul, her eyes opened and she raised those precious brows as if to say, I know…
I have spent many hours thinking about life and death and have come to the conclusion that Memom must feel much like Paul….Hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ for that is very much better, yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. (Phil 1:22-23) I have contemplated the longing to finish well and to hear “well done” from my Father, as I have watched myriads of people that my Grandmother has impacted, pouring her life out as a drink offering. And have decided that I want to live a life worth dying for.
I share these words, probably because I needed the therapy of writing what I was feeling and the solace to know that others might care, understand and need to be encouraged by them. But the ultimate thought for me today is what the Lord has been swirling in my head for the last 2 weeks.
Why do we wait until we are dying to live like it? What would happen if we lived like we were dying everyday. With no regret, with a boldness and an intention of heart to please our Heavenly Father in all things? What if we chose to store up treasure in heaven instead of earth because we knew this world is not our home and that our time here is short? We are so distracted with life…and life is a gift, precious and to be lived, but to be lived as if we were dying…with the intention of investing life in those who come behind so that the legacy of Christ-the hope of Glory, lives on in another.
If I have learned one lesson from my precious Memom (and believe me, there have been many), today the lesson would be….live like you are dying, being hard pressed with a desire to be with Christ, but remaining for the sake of others, convinced that if you remain and continue it will be for the progress and joy of others in the faith. And yet our earnest desire should be to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Shortly my Memom will GAIN, because her life lived has been Christ. So while we could certainly talk about a life well lived, perhaps, our hearts should be challenged to live like we are dying from now until the Deliverer comes to take us Home.
Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed. The victory is won. He is risen from the dead….Now live like it.


ALL FOR YOU