A Friend for all Eternity

I haven’t written in quite a while

words seemed to have escaped me

in the midst of my trials

someday inspiration will return

just like Christ I have learned.

This is a poem dedicated to my “E-Dad”

Thank you for everything you’ve shared!

Your poetry gives me hope I’ll write again.

A Friend for all Eternity

A weary traveler

On this road,

I take for granted

My heavy load

When struggles seem to strangle me,

when the pain wakes me so early

The light from Christ

Sometimes I fail to see

And how He’s come to rescue me

My dear friend lives with ALS

In Canada he does rest,

His burden though much more than mine

Comfort in his friendship I do find.

He’s shared Christ’s love

Through his emails

I call him my E-Dad

His strength prevails

He reminds me of my earthly dad

What similarities they do have

Though four years ago God took him home

In heaven now he does roam

How I wish to have strength,

The resolve they both have had

But when I get discouraged

I take refuge in being encouraged

In Christ alone comes our salvation

He’s my friend, my husband, my counselor, my guide

His arms are an open invitation

Into them I run and hide

So does my friend with ALS

So did my dad

Before he came to pass

Their example I do cherish

For I know we all will perish

But hope lies in the after life

Where there will be no agony or strife

So suffering now means little

Compared to what is in store

In heaven his legs and body will fail no more

And when I meet my E-Dad some day,

We’ll rejoice, live fully, jump and play

Though the distance is far right now

And I’ll never meet him before he dies

His words reach across the country somehow

His faith in Christ shines through his eyes.

“Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you

My flesh and my heart may fail

but God is the strength of my heart

And my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26

My Idea of Heaven

“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 be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Living with God in heaven forever is our victory over death. God prepares our hearts for what is to come. Three months ago I did a six week Bible study with Bille, my exchange student from Germany, called “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn.

Not only did this study exhilarate us, bring us closer to each other and God, and help us become more comfortable praying out loud with one another - we both learned so much about what the Bible says about the present heaven. It’s helped comfort me when I think about my own “death” and to imagine all the phantasmagorical things my dad must be doing right now.

Not all that long ago, there was a time when I knew of heaven, much like I knew of Christ, but it was more of a “head knowledge.” Now I have more of a sense of heaven in my heart because God’s revealed a tiny bit of insight through that Bible study.

I had this naïve view that we would just sleep all the time and/or float around on clouds playing harps and singing hymns I don’t like. Boring. I don’t like to admit this, but I almost didn’t look forward to this place the Bible calls heaven because nothing about the idea I had in my finite mind thrilled me. I can be so simple-minded.

I’ve often asked God many questions, such as: How can life get better than my best days here? How can I possibly have a job I’m passionate about and be equipped to perform it to the best of my abilities? How can I be expected to be excited about a place that doesn’t have the same comforts I do now?

God’s answer seems to be: why do you think so little of me? Thank goodness I’m not in charge of the universe, even if I seem to forget this at times. My idea of heaven would be pretty pitiful.

Right before he died, John Newton, the author of the infamous hymn “Amazing Grace” wrote, “I am still in the land of the dying; I shall be in the land of the living soon.”

Good Grief

“Why should I ever resist any delay or disappointment, any affliction or oppression or humiliation – when I know God will use it in my life to make me like Jesus and to prepare me for heaven?” Kay Arthur

Good grief is being mindful and affected by what Jesus did on the cross for me. How he took the blame for all the mistakes I made and for running away from Him when He was reaching out to me. He is the creator of true love and grief that’s good.

Bad grief is self-destructing, and killing myself slowly – physically, mentally and spiritually, to which I can attest.

Good grief is losing someone in this life to a life with God. It’s what I consider to be a celebration of life, not the finality of it.

Bad grief is the final separation from a person I love who did not love and have a relationship with Christ. This is most definitely a reason to mourn deeply and profoundly.

Have you ever thought about what you’ll say to God as you move into eternity? When I meet God face to face and He asks me why He should allow me into His kingdom, my answer will be: “Because I’m in love with your son.”

“If you are a Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world.” Vance Hayner

Losing a Loved One

“Heaven is not here, it’s There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.”  Elisabeth Elliot

Why is it still shocking to lose a loved one who lived to be 90? I’m not sure. And is it really loss or merely a temporary separation? I believe and hope in the latter. My sweet grandmother, Honey, passed away on Saturday due to a complication, after a very risky but successful surgery to remove cancer from her colon. My aunt was with her and said she went in peace.

I’m thankful I got to talk to Honey briefly while she was in the hospital and got to tell her how much I loved her. I’m thankful God gave me a chance to speak with her about Christ and all He’s done for me…and that she responded likewise. I’m thankful she wasn’t alone when she passed. And I’m thankful I got to know her a little better in the last year.

Romans 8:18 has become one of my favorite verses that’s comforted me in times of physical agony. This morning, as I reflect on it, its meaning is even more profound when it comes to my knee-jerk, generic reaction of losing a loved one.

“For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

I recently read “The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer. Following is one of his prayers. It’s a rich read that broadened my perspective on God in mind-blowing ways.

“O God, quicken to life every power within me, that I may lay hold on eternal things. Open my eyes that I may see; give me acute spiritual perception; enable me to taste Thee and know that Thou art good. Make heaven more real to me than any earthly thing has ever been. Amen.”  A.W. Tozer