Eternity's door

I held her frail hand at the nursing home as she lay beside me, breathing softly.

It was a comfortable silence.  I was humbled to be with this beautiful woman during her final days on earth. 

The thought of someone being alone, without love, during such a vulnerable time is heart-wrenching.  Thankfully she wasn't short of people planning to sit by her side.

I met her at the church doors five months earlier.  We had just arrived in the area to take over the reigns of a church which had spanned over three decades.   She was in mid conversation introducing herself & telling me her story, with her rich German accent, when I felt to stop her & asked for a hug.  

Just in those moments we connected instantly - spirit to spirit.

As a younger woman, she had been a key member involved in many of the crusades, the meetings, the morning teas, the community.  She had a wealth of memories & such a passion for God.  She explained she would come back to church weekly but couldn’t as lived half an hour away on a property.   That was easily fixed as I thought of the richness of spending time with her.  I picked her up as often as I could, & listened as she talked and talked - sharing her love of her family and telling me stories of years gone by - permeated by her unfailing faith & love for God.

She spoke with passion about the work of the Holy Spirit in her life. She spoke of her children & grandchildren with such love, and how she longed for them all to know God.

Her heart started to weaken over the next few months, fires had swept through our valley, and we didn’t see as much of each other.  She was short of breath and I remember saying over one phone call, ‘while there is breath in your lungs, you have purpose here on earth’.   I’m certain she spent much of her last months praying for her loved ones.  Praying for our town.

And then I received the call that she didn’t have long to live.

I walked through the doors and saw her lying still.  I was told by one of her family members that it may be hard to get responses from her as she spent a lot of time sleeping.

And as I held her hand and said her name - she looked at me.  And then she smiled with eyes filled with joy as she said something I’ll never forget…

“I can’t believe it. I get to see Jesus soon.  I’m going to heaven!”

She asked for a cushion so she could sit up. And we started to talk.  She told me what songs she wanted at her funeral.  She told me about how much she loved her family.  She spoke of many things and I found it hard to believe she had appeared so motionless not long before. 

I was privileged to pray for her. She told me she wasn’t scared at all. If anything she was delighted. She knew where she was going & she’d been looking forward to this moment for many years.

And later that week, she walked through eternity’s door to dance with her Saviour. 

A life well lived.  A woman well loved. 

Everyone will come to that place when eternity is only breaths away. 

What will you say?  Will you be expectant?  Or will you be fearful?

I visited another elderly man years before, and I walked in the room just as he found out he had irreversible cancer and had weeks to live. His wife was still on her way to the hospital, and I sat on the edge of his bed as he told me the news. And then he cried, and cried.  I hugged him and he sobbed on my shoulder - and he said he was scared to die. He was a believer - but he still feared death .. the unknown.

It was such a different reaction.  Different circumstances - but parallel mindset.   

I cried too - and when I left that day I called my Dad just to hear his voice.

No one wants to lose someone. And grief is necessary. 

But love overcomes fear.

Love is what greets you on the other side.

What do you want to say when it’s time?

...I want to say to the loved one holding my hand, “I can’t believe it.  I get to see Jesus soon.”