I stood stunned before the big portrait of a beautiful woman. Her head was shaved but her eyes were radiant. A lump formed in my throat. I had to swallow hard because I had not been aware that the woman we prayed for in the past days had been only 42 years old and she was the mother of two young boys (4 and 6 years old). I did not know her personally; she was the sister of a good friend. Until I looked at her beautiful picture and I saw the faces of her children and her husband, she was just a "case" for me. Now, her death became a reality for me.
It was the farewell to a mother who had fought for 10 years a bitter fight against breast cancer and died miserably in the ICU. The funeral was last Sunday, where Thomas and I attended. But before I could fall into depression, the voice of a Scottish priest shook me:
"The show is not over! Life begins after the death !..." The mood in the small chapel was strangely happy and relaxed . There were songs of praise sung to God, and everyone was sure that the young woman was now in a better place. She had firmly believed in Jesus and held unto him until her last breath.
At the same time, we learned that a good friend of us stuck in the same death struggles. She faced her diagnosis: "Breast Cancer“ barely four years ago. A bitter fight for her health began. Sometimes she felt very good again. She wanted to live.
The shocking news came to us a day after the burial we just experienced: the body of our good friend was eaten up by cancer cells. She was a wonderful mother of four children! She was the wife of a man who loved her and wanted to grow old with her. She was a friend and counselor for a lot of people. I was as shocked as many others. Since her diagnosis, we had prayed for her healing. Now she was suddenly gone forever! Forever? Thomas and I jumped in a plane next day to fly to Cebu. We wanted to attend the wake of our beloved friend and meet the family. We have known them for over 20 years and appreciate one another much. Like in a Dejavue we ran into the same scenario as only three days earlier: a chapel and a large portrait of a beautiful woman who died much too early. She had to leave her husband and children behind. Unlike at the wake a few days earlier, I was grieving. What a pain. What a sorrow had to bear for the family. And yet, even this chapel was filled with praise and a peace that one can not understand. Everyone present knew that the true life in eternity. Life begins only after death! Heaven is the only place of no pain, no crying and no more suffering. There is no other way to heaven than by dying. And He will wipe every tear from our eyes. Our questions will be finally answered. There is joy in his presence. There is a reunion with the saints that went ahead. Death loses its finality. Suddenly, I did discover something like envy in my heart: My friend had made it! She has arrived! She is at home with our God, whose love we can hardly imagine. There is glory!
Now we will celebrate Easter in the next few days. THE RESURRECTION! Death, where is thy sting? Hell, where is thy victory? We have nothing to fear because the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us and will bring us through to glory. Life is short. Whether 20, 40 or 80 years! It remains short compared to eternity. The past few days have opened my eyes for the true dimensions in which we live. Our body is only a temporary container. Life is about so much more! I want to live my life so that people can encounter a piece of God's love in me as long as we are here on this earth. I want to enjoy life as long as I am allowed here. I don’t want to leave this world with unfulfilled tasks. I don’t want to waste my days. May I have the grace to do so.
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