It is hard to believe that it has already been two weeks since David went home to be with Christ. Sometimes it feels as if it were just yesterday he passed away and other times it feels as if he has been gone a long time. We often ponder what David is doing and thinking as he walks around unhindered by Battens or the weight of sin. I wonder if David was as excited as we were last night when the New York Yankees won the World Series. I wonder what he is talking about with my father or my niece, Melody. I wonder if he still has questions regarding his disease and the suffering he experienced, or did those questions evaporate when he gazed into the eyes of Christ. I wonder what exciting and meaningful work David will be engaged in until Christ comes back and heaven and earth are joined together. I wonder what he is singing or how he is worshiping God. I wonder what he is looking at with eyes that now function perfectly. I wonder what it is going to be like to sit down with David one day and discuss the journey we walked together here on earth. I wonder what he is eating and if there are bacon cheese burgers, fries, and coke in heaven. There are lots of questions which are fun to ponder but I realize we most likely will not have answers to them until we join David.
At David's funeral we handed out a little book entitled In Light of Eternity, by Randy Alcorn. It is a book about heaven. It has been a real source of encouragement for us. If you did not get a copy or were unable to attend the service please let us know and we will mail you a copy. Please don't be shy. We want you to have a copy.
We are often asked how are we REALLY doing. To be honest the answer to that question changes day by day, moment by moment. Thankfully we rest in the sure and certain hope of heaven. Thinking of David no longer suffering and being with Christ and being totally restored brings us true peace. What is difficult is dealing with the vacuum that has been left with David no longer being here with us. There is a huge hole that I don't think will ever be totally filled in. No matter where David was or what he did, he filled space. His laughter, his suffering, his child like faith, his love, his passion for life, his compassion for others who were suffering, his gentleness, his need for 24/7 care, and his smile filled his room, our home, and our hearts. But on October 22nd David left us leaving a vacuum that cries to be filled. We have been encouraged not to try and fill this hole for a while. We don't like it. But it is there and we need to embrace it as we walk this path of grief. Please continue to pray for my family as each of us deal with this grief in our own way.
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In our sad remembrance of Karen's mom, Ruby, who lived with Alzheimers four-plus years in our home and two-plus at Van Duyne, Karen and I came gradually to see that one of our finest times as disciples was caring intimately for her as she transitioned back to peace and clarity with her great lover and creator. You all have wonderfully done that for David.
ReplyDeleteThree verses placed adjacently have always given me an almost-sensory hope-for-heaven that sounds like Warren's for David:
ReplyDelete"He died for us, so that whether we are alive or dead we may live together with him. Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." (1 Thess. 5:10, Rom. 14:9, Luke 20:38)
I've shown these verses to bereaved, non-believing colleagues. The usual reaction is warm wonder ....
Joni Eareckson Tada's book on Heaven is another wondrous and sensory explanation.