Life is mixture of emotions, experiences, and events. One of the most challenging and hardest to plan for and prepare for is the end of life. Right now I have several friends and a few family members in this stage of life. The family members of the "end-stage person are rattled and struggling with fears, sadness and confusion. As a medical person, psychologist want-to-be and very sensitive and intuitive person it is hard to see them both suffering, worried and sad about the enivitable event that is coming. This stage of life can be very hard and a negative experience as the "END OF LIFE" or it can be a peaceful and celebratory experience as "Finishing the Race or Going to be with God".
I myself went through this when my dear friend, "Proverbial older sister", died back in 2001, it was so hard to go through that with her family, but the one thing that helped us all was our faith. She was a believer, and this was not the end, it was the beginning. She was leaving us, but was going to be with the father. Her race was run, He was standing there, ready to say those words we all want to hear. "WELL DONE, My good and faithful servant". As an "outsider" it is a bit tricky (at least for me, chronic sufferer of "FOOT IN Mouth" ) to know what to say and do to help and comfort. There were many times that the "Law of Dot" reared it's ugly head and I would say something that upset and/or challenged everyone but then later, did help when they thought about it in retrospect, but I was not around to know. When faced with a loved one's life drawing to an end, we need to embrace our faith more than ever and renew our mind, truly KNOW that God is with us, and this experience is for the good of our loved one and us. (Romans 8:28)
These times of sorrow can be huge growth moments, if we truly know and show that God is in control. What better witness of our faith then to be able to say good by and have peace with our loved one being "taken" from us and say, "It is well with my soul, becasue I know God is in Control". To exhibit the fruits of the spirit and have joy and peace through this difficult and sad experience. Of course, we are not joyful that we are not going to have this person with us anymore but, we are joyful that they crossed the finish line and are receiving their crown. We can still have the relationship with the person, they left footprints on our lives, there are sayings they said, songs they liked, notes they wrote, pictures, many reminders of them. We can live our lives for God like they did so honor their memory. The end-stage of life does not have to be the end, it is the beginning of a different relationship. But, with prayer, reflection and love we can keep running our race, glorifing our God, and serving in Honor of our loved ones.
If you are not currently dealing with an end-stage loved one right now you do not have to look far to find someone who is or has dealt with one recently. Share your love, and encouragement with them. Help them renew their spirit and reconnect with their peace and understanding of the "Comforter", Christ Jesus that is with them and has been with them along.
A few thoughts that we had to ponder in a class one time. They asked us to write our obituary and to look at our funneral and write about it. This assignment was very hard for me, and I hated every minute of it, but when we turned it in. The teacher handed it back and said, "If you are not happy about what just went on and what would be written about you, You can start right this minute and change it. You can make your life different, you can change how people will remember you, but if you wait, you may loose this opportunity and this will become your reality." That has stuck with me for years. I have seen this exercise done in many groups and in many "Self-Help Books".
How would your obituary read?
What do you think is going to go on at your funneral? How are people going to remember you? What will they remember a month after you are gone? What is the thing that will most be remembered? What "footprints" have you left on peoples lives?
Pray for those families dealing with preparing for their loved to leave this earth. Especially remember those families that do not have this comfort, and security of knowing their loved one is going to be with our Heavenly Father. The families that do not have the comforter with them, and that do not know how to access the peace and understanding that we have. Look for the hurting and take them to Jesus.
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