April 10, 2024
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April 12, 2003 was a bittersweet day for Susan and me. It was our wedding day. Our pastor, Jim Jackson, had just pronounced us husband and wife.
As we were walking down the aisle of the Chapel, my sister, Barbara, met us at the door and said, “Dad just died.” Dad’s health had been failing for quite a while and he was in a hospital in Waco. Susan and I spent the week prior to our wedding with Dad.
Dad would go in and out of consciousness, vacillating between being totally lucid and hallucinating. During his more coherent moments, it seemed that sometimes he was going back and forth between this world and the eternal. He talked about relatives and friends long dead, who were visiting him in his hospital room.
Dad told us that he hated to die because he would miss all the things that were going to happen in our lives. He asked me if he’d be able to see us from heaven. I told him I didn’t know, that the Bible doesn’t say much about that. He was very weak, but when I said those words in response to his question, his composure changed. He assumed a very powerful posture and he spoke with authority – as if he was still Dad but someone else was speaking through him. He said that my answer was correct, we don’t know now – but we will know at some point.
The apostle Paul says, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12, NIV. There is a veil between this world and the next that we can’t see through. But at some point, that veil will open and we will see into eternity.
Our wedding reception was in the Parlor at Chapelwood, so when we got the word about Dad, all of our family and our pastor were still there. Together we celebrated new life – Susan’s and my marriage. And a few days later, we laid Dad to rest. We thanked the Lord for Dad’s life, we mourned his death, and we celebrated his eternal life with Christ.
So, April 12th is an Easter event for Susan and me. Life – Death – Resurrection. A full range of emotions – happiness, grief, sadness, joy and gratitude, all woven together – bittersweet!
In just a few days, Susan and I will celebrate our twenty-first wedding anniversary and thank the Lord for bringing us together and blessing us all of these years.
And we’re going to remember Dad. I love Dad and I miss him. I wish he could have been with us the past twenty-one years, to see Susan and me grow in our love, to see his granddaughters marry, and meet his great-grandchildren.
We thank the Lord that Dad is a believer, that he knows Jesus Christ and because of that, we can trust in God’s promise that Dad is in heaven with Him. Perhaps Dad has been watching all these years from the other side of the veil?
During the last days we were with Dad, he would ask me and others, “Is it 2:30?” He asked this question often, at different times of day and night – and it was never 2:30! Our wedding began at 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon. When Barbara met us at the door to tell us Dad had died, it was 2:30. Perhaps he made it to the wedding? I find hope and comfort in that thought!!!
REMEMBER & BELIEVE
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
In the meantime, Jesus is Lord. Praise Him!
PRAYER
Dear Lord, we thank you for the gift of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who conquered death and brings us the promise of eternal life. As we mourn the loss of our loved ones, may we find comfort in the assurance of resurrection and reunion with them in heaven. Help us to live each day in faith and gratitude, knowing that You are always with us.
Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil and the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (NRSV)
God bless you!
Richard
Christ Worshipper | Disciple Maker | Hope Giver
Welcome to In the Meantime. I'm glad you're here! We are living in the time between Christ's ascension into heaven and His promised return to earth. In the Meantime is a collection of stories about God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and His presence, love, mercy and grace in my life. In the Meantime, Jesus is Lord! Hallelujah!
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