Tag-Archive for » death «

27
Dec
Homesick for Heaven

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick,” says Carol Nelson, “even when you’re home.” I had that homesick feeling off and on all during this holiday season. I miss my folks who are no longer here, my kids adventuring in far off places, and I miss something that I haven’t yet experienced—Heaven—my home.

Why is that so? How can I miss something I’ve never known? My spirit seems to cry out for a familiar place, a time, a Person I’ve not yet held. I’ve sat and stared out the window musing over what is not yet mine; thinking of people waiting for me there. Yearning for a sight, a smell, a sound that is so new and, yet, so old.

“Yet”—a word in tension between what is coming and what is now.

My friends tell me that I talk more about Heaven than anyone else they know. Do I think I’m going to die soon? No. Am I more heavenly minded than earthly good? No. Am I getting old? Yes, but not that old.

Yet (there is that word again), Heaven is very real to me. For much of Christina history, Heaven was very real to every follower of Christ. It was often a topic of conversation and regarded as one of the major doctrines of the church. People knew Heaven was as real as the next town down the road. Each choice in life reflected a person’s real citizenship, and folks took their heavenly citizenship seriously.

You don’t find Heaven talked about much any more except at funerals. Technology has shrunk our world, but distanced Heaven. The Undiscovered Country doesn’t appeal to people as it once did. Most folks who experience homesickness when they are home don’t connect the feeling with the reality of a place they’ve never seen or care to know much about.

However, if you are like most historical Christians, you probably want to know all you can about the home awaiting you. Heaven’s guide book, the Bible, lists many interesting facts and helpful information about that home. See my posts What Everybody Ought to Know About Heaven and What Do People Do in Heaven? for starters. But be prepared—the more you know, the more homesick you get.

So I’m wondering, did you get homesick this Christmas even when you were home? I’m sure that I’m not the only person out there who experiences this. Let’s talk about Heaven as others have throughout the centuries.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Eternity Future, grief, Quiet moments  Tags: , , , , ,
14
Jun
How To Help Someone Through the Process of Grief and Loss

It was George Eliot who said, “She was no longer wrestling with the grief, but could sit down with it as a lasting companion and make it a sharer in her thoughts.”

Grief is natural, although it is never fun. It signals the loss of something that will probably never be recovered. Any kind of loss will invoke grief, such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a move to a new community, or even the end of a ministry. However, it is usually within the context of death that we most expect to encounter grief.

Unfortunately, many of us have never had to face death as our forefathers did. One hundred years ago, death was a part of daily life. When a family member died, they were laid out in the parlor for viewing by family and friends. It was these family and friends who helped the mortician clean and dress the body. People knew what death looked liked and how to process it.

Today, the dead are removed at once to the mortuary where all the preparations are done for the family. The viewing is often formal as family and friends meet in a strange place to look at someone who, in death, appears unlike the loved one.

As a result, many of us do not know how to process death or walk with someone through the process of grieving. Yet, this is one of our highest callings—to weep with those who weep. The following are guidelines for helping someone deal with bereavement:

Allow the person to express their emotions. Do not pressure them to express their feelings if they are not comfortable with doing so. Expect intermittent outpouring of crying, anger, or withdrawal.

Come out of your own personal comfort zone and be available to listen, talk, baby-sit, or send meals and cards on a regular basis throughout the first year of grieving. Be sensitive to their need to be touched or hugged.

Be a ready listener both for adults and children. People need to talk about their feelings, the details of the death and funeral, memories of the deceased, and the reasons for dying. Gently challenge irrational conclusions. Avoid preaching or using clichés.

Pray for and with the bereaved, and comfort them with the promises of Scripture or words of a song or poem. The promises of God are what often sustain us, and others, through the hard times. Hebrews 6:17–20 tells us that they are the anchor of hope that holds our ship stable through the storms of life.

Do not say things like, “Well, he led a full life. It’s not as though he were dying young,” or, “I know just how you feel,” or “Time will heal.” Remember, every grief is a very personal agony. Refrain from such comments as, “She died because she was in rebellion toward God,” or “It was God’s will.”

Keep in mind the stages of the grieving process to aid in your understanding of what a person might be going through: (1) shock over the death, (2) denial of the death, (3) anger at God, the deceased, others, and self, (4) guilt, (5) bargaining with God, (6) withdrawal, (7) searching, and (8) acceptance of the death.

Knowing how to help someone through the process of grief comes through practice. What have you found to be beneficial, or detrimental, when you have lost a loved one or walked with a friend through grief?

(This post is adapted from Help, I’m Stuck With These People For the Rest of Eternity.)

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: grief  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
21
May
What Do People Do In Heaven?

Eternity future is a long time—really long. So what does someone do with all that time in heaven?

In his book, Things Unseen, Mark Buchanan makes the following comment concerning heaven, “It’s the one place where we’re constantly discovering—where everything is always fresh and the possessing of a thing is as good as the pursuing of it—and yet where we are fully at home—where everything is as it ought to be and where we find, undiminished, that mysterious something we never found down here.”

Here are 8 specific things we will be doing in heaven as gleaned from Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven, and the Scriptures.

1. We will rest from our labors on earth (Rev. 14:13).

2. We will eat, drink and celebrate with Christ and those that know Him. We’ll fellowship, tell stories, laugh, talk, enjoy corporate worship, and interact with God and angels. (Isa. 25:6; Matt. 8:11; Luke 22:29-30; Rev. 19:9). Eating and drinking in heaven will be for pleasure as there will be no hunger or thirst in heaven (Rev. 7:16).

3. We will serve God—which is not a passive state, but indicates activity and creativity.

4. We will exercise authority and leadership (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 3:21; 22:5; Luke 19:17–19; 1 Cor. 6:2-3).

5. We will have our own places to live (John 14:2-3). This is part of a permanent inheritance–an imperishable estate specifically reserved for us (1 Pet. 1:3–4).

6. When we are in heaven, we will welcome others into our homes (Luke 16:9).

7. We will be given a new name that is known only to God and ourselves (Rev. 2:17).

8. We will receive the treasures that Christ commanded us to store up “for ourselves” in heaven (Matt. 6:20).

I hope this post gives you joy as you imagine those you love, who are already in heaven, enjoying their life there. I pray it gives you something to look forward to as you prepare for eternity future. What do you look forward to doing in heaven?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Eternity Future, grief  Tags: , , , , , ,
19
May
What Everybody Ought To Know About Heaven

Heaven doesn’t get much press these days. If I was planning to move, you can bet I would be researching my destination quite a bit. Heaven is the place where we will be spending eternity future. Shouldn’t we be checking it out?

Randy Alcorn has stated that, “Heaven is an actual place, in a real location, designed by God with people in mind.” Below are 7 facts gleaned from the Scriptures and Randy’s book, Heaven.

1. Our spirits are carried by angels to Heaven (Ec. 12:7; Luke 16:22; 23:43). These angels could include one or more who have served and protected us while we were on earth (Heb. 1:14).

Some angels are specifically assigned to children and likely accompany them to Heaven (Matt. 18:10). (No, we do not become angels! They are a separate type of being.)

2. We are carried to the “third Heaven” located in the angelic realm, which is separated from earth. This is a temporary Heaven, awaiting the New Heaven and New Earth, which will be created at some time in the future when we receive our future, resurrected bodies (1 Cor. 15:3–54). Beings have traveled to and from this third Heaven, including Christ (John 6:33; Acts 1), angels (Matt. 28:2; Rev. 10:1), and humans (2 Cor. 12:2–4).

3. When we die, we are given some type of temporary body to house our permanent spirit and soul. This body is recognizable. Both Moses and Elijah were in their temporary, heavenly bodies when they appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Christ and were recognized by Peter, James, and John.

4. To those left behind on earth it will appear as though our body were “sleeping.” However, we will be instantly present with the Lord when we die (2 Cor. 5:8).

5. We will meet our Lord face to face (Ps. 17:15; 1 John 3:2; Rev. 22:4).

6. We will be able to know what is happening on earth (Luke 9:30–36). Remember that “dead” Moses and Elijah were attentive to what was happening on earth. (Heb. 11–12:1). We will rejoice when someone we love comes into relationship with God (Luke 15:7).

7. We will recognize and know each other and will be able to express our love for one another (Matt. 17:1–4; 1 Cor. 13:13).

In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis writes, “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English evangelicals who abolished the slave trade, all left their mark on earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

How does your view of Heaven impact the way you live your life here and now? (Tune in on Friday for Part 2 of this short series on Heaven.)

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

I have often given Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven, as a gift to those grieving the loss of a loved one. If you haven’t read it yet, pick it up for a good tour guide to your future home. (See the right side bar for details on the book.)

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Category: Eternity Future, grief, Personal growth  Tags: , , , , , , ,
20
Jan
What’s In Your Closet?

1128278_timeWhat is in your closet? Do you have things in storage that you intend to use, but can’t seem to find the time to dig them out? Do you acquire items that eat up valuable space in your house or shed?

My dad did. We found clocks in his storage shed after his death—lots of clocks. Dad thought the clocks would be worth something someday, but that has not been the case. Missing parts devalue some antique clocks and the reproductions assess at a low price.

What am I suppose to do with 18 clocks? There were over 52 to begin with, but after distributing them between siblings, I ended up with 18 of my father’s clocks.

I have no use for so many clocks, nor do I want to store them for my children to stumble upon after my death. So far, I’ve sold some on Craig’s List, given others as gifts to children, and kept two for myself.

Dad’s clock collection sat in storage for over 20 years—not forgotten, just ignored. Other interests and projects required his attention until ill health consumed his life.

This year I’m rummaging through my valuables and giving them as gifts to my children and grandchildren. More will be given in the years ahead.

Yes, my descendants would still end up with them eventually, but why wait until I’m gone? The joy in a granddaughter’s eyes is worth the English tea cup and saucer nestled in the box along with a fresh bag of chocolate mint tea. Do I want to miss the appreciation of a son receiving his grandfather’s pocket watch and chain?

Bottom line—I can’t afford to ignore my stored treasures. They provide no joy as long as they sit on a dark shelf and eat up valuable storage space. Stored treasures are meant to become gifts of the heart.

What’s in your closet?

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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Category: Daily chores, Seasons  Tags: , , , , , , , ,
18
Dec
News Flash! God Becomes Man!

1111928_baby_hand_2Contrary to popular religious thought, man does not evolve into godness over the course of several, rightly-lived lifetimes. This fable was securely put to rest when the reverse happened—God became a man.

Some 2,000 years ago a baby was born as God incarnate. Once grown, he went around healing people, raising the dead, helping the poor, and turning the crazies into law abiding citizens. His actions rattled the local authorities who didn’t like to see God messing up their social structure. So they killed him.

Yep, they killed God. Only as a human could God be killed. God, as God, could not die. Birth as a human allowed God to take upon himself the injustices of mankind and bear the punishment for those wrongs, which was death.

But, here’s the catch, God Who Became Human rose from the dead. Death bit the dust. The God-man tells folks that, as his followers, they will live forever; his death and resurrection renders null and void all the injustices and wrongs they commit.

Millions of people find this story easier to believe than the idea of man expanding into deity. Too much wrongness exists in humanity to be eradicated by personal effort. Individuals need God Who Became Human to change them from the inside out. His death becomes their death and his promise of resurrection power transforms their lives now and in the future.

Continuing story: The Stable Born God Lives.

In Him together, Susan Gaddis

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