You coming?

I'm on a bench, watching the sun set and thinking about life and death.
I've been here before.
This is the bench I sat upon on my 5th celemourn of breast cancer. My thoughts and feelings were very similar then -- sadness over how much I'd lost, joy over how much I've gained. Peace at knowing that come whatever may, it is well with my soul.

My grandmother died today. And by 'died' I mean slipped into something comfortable and radiant, put on a jeweled crown, and ran into the thrown room of God, skipping like a schoolgirl and breathless in anticipation.

By now, she's got Grampa all caught up on the last ten years and had a cup of tea with her mom.
But even that joyous thought fades compared to the true Joy -- she has finally looked into the eyes of the Savior Who gave up all He had to die a sinner's death on a cross and secure her passage Home. She has heard the voice of the One she's listened to and obeyed for almost a century.
Even the excruciating pain that first brought her to the hospital is less than a fly buzzing past your ear in comparison with that.
That's the Joy.
There is no sadness whatsoever in that.

The sadness is for us still here. God left a huge hole when He took her home. That hole will slowly fill. But it will be painful for years. So I'm selfishly sad for me. And for my Dad. He got the call four days ago in a little town up north in West Africa. He and Mom drove hours on a motorcycle on a bumpy dirt road. Then a car ride, and a plane ride -- rushing halfway across the world only to find that she died two hours before they got home.
They missed saying, "See you later."
But that pain, too, will fade.
Because they will see her later.
And I will, too.
Will you?

Grammy would want me to ask. Grammy would want me to make sure you know about her loving Savior and the Hope He died to give you.
This road is bumpy -- she'd be the first to tell you that. And she'd also tell you that leaning on Jesus won't make it any less bumpy. We don't choose to follow Him because He makes life good. We follow Him because He is good.
Sometimes life is lousy.
Sometimes it hurts way too much.
But He is still good. And leaning on Him is the only way to get Home at the end of the bumpy road.

If you don't know for sure that you'll be meeting us in Heaven at the end of your journey, send me a message. I'll hook you up with a Savior.