Romans 14:8 – If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (NIV)

I had been corresponding with a young woman whose heart was breaking. Her little one was suffering with a cancer that had spread into his spine. This had left him crippled. The tumour in his brain had grown once more.

Time had lapsed and I had promised I would remember her son in prayer. One night I seemed troubled and she came into my thoughts. The following day while clearing some responses into a separate file, I came across her letter and thought I would inquire about her son.

The response from her was heart-wrenching: her son was dying. She responded, "There is no more treatment to be done; he is at home and now we will try to keep him comfortable."

To lose a son, to watch each day as life ebbs away like a winding brook, sometimes running fast and shallow, other times slow and deep…. The prayers I offered up to God were for her and their family to be strong and to keep the faith.

There is life beyond the grave. God has shown us and we believe.

It is the pain we bear that is so hard. Yet God has promised He will not give to us more than we can bear.

Her son was almost seven, but he was much older than his years and showed a strength in himself that could be known only to God.

The days were finally shortened. The mother told me afterward that at the last she leaned over and whispered to her son, "Now go to be with Jesus."

I attended the funeral at which this mother did the eulogy. She was a tower of strength and her faith stood firm.

Reflecting now on the whole, I can only say, "Dear one, He gave you the strength you maybe thought you did not have."

One day the sky will be bright and blue again. Though the void can't ever be filled, we must believe, for that which we behold is not ours. We remember that all is loaned to us for a reason, for a season, not fully known to us now, but one day all will be made clear.

1 Corinthians 15:55,57 – O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (KJV)

Prayer: Dear Lord, we find it difficult to be strong when a loved one has been called home to be with You. Help us to find some peace and comfort in knowing there is life beyond the grave. You have done it all for us. Quiet our souls, though we cry out to You in pain. It will take time to heal. Lord, draw near; hold us in Your tender loving arms. We come to You in prayer, in Jesus' name. Amen.

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About the author:

Anne Russell <annerussell80@gmail.com>
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
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