#1 – Eternity is reality, everyone is going to die and spend eternity somewhere…and there is amazing peace when you know that someone you loved has been made new and is in the presence of Christ. (Hebrews 9:27)
#2 – Everyone grieves differently…and grief is a very natural and perfectly acceptable thing for us as humans to feel. However, as there is a season for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
#3 – Romans 8:28).
(Knowing all of the theological answers does not remove the emotional pain…but it does help me to deal with it one step at a time!)
#4 – Relationships with other people should not be taken for granted. I had no idea when I walked away from my dad on Saturday, July 23 that it would be the last time I saw him alive. I told him that I loved him…that was the last words he heard out of my mouth and for that I am extremely grateful. (As I recall those were the last words I spoke to my mother before her passing as well.) We should NEVER assume that people know how we feel about them…and IF there is someone in your life, ESPECIALLY a parent, then you should do all that you can do to make that relationship right! (You may need to stop reading right now and break off a phone call…life is too short to live with bitterness and regret!)
#5 – I am so thankful for an incredible wife and daughter, unbelievable friends and an amazing church. This world will crush someone who tries to face it alone…and our core value of “I can’t do life alone” has never been more real to me that it has been this past week.
