Death in Christian Families
Losing a Loved One to Heaven
My mom called me at about 10:30 PM, just as my husband and I were going to bed. "You better come to the hospital, Amy, Mother's not doing well." I knew what that meant. For four weeks my husband and son and I had been living with my grandma. We were actually in her bedroom when my mom called that night. In February my grandmother had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, in May she was near death. None of us knew how fast she would leave us. My husband and son and I moved in with her so that someone would be with her around the clock. We all had hopes that she would get strong enough for chemotherapy and have a wonderful rebound, but unfortunately that was not God's plan.
When I got to the hospital I went straight to I.C.U. and to Grandma's side. I touched her hand, stroked her hair and said, "Hi Grandma, it's Amy, I'm here." She opened her eyes and looked at me vaguely. That was the last time I ever had eye contact with her. My mom, my aunt, and I met with the doctor and he gave us the report. She had some sort of brain trauma, probably a stroke, and would not recover from the operation she had undergone three days before. We had all figured as much, but somehow the words coming from a man in a white coat holding a chart make it more real. We requested that she have everything possible to help her with any pain she might be feeling and opted to end the discussion and get back to her room. I remember thinking, "How ridiculous that we have to waste time in here talking to this guy when this is Grandma's last night here."
We took turns then, staying by her side and talking to her. We sang wonderful hymns like, "Abide With Me," and "It is Well." I read to her from Job how he said, "I know that my Redeemer liveth...after skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God...whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold Him..." I clearly remember watching Grandma's vitals dropping on the monitor over the space of a few hours. It was a truly horrible, sad experience. She died early the next morning.
It is never easy to lose someone you love. I have been to many funerals in my life. Several were full of despair and sorrow. My grandma's funeral was one of hope. During the eulogies, my uncle got up and displayed a box. He said that grandma used to have that box at her house when she was a widow, raising her five children. She instructed them that whenever anyone had a problem or a sorrow they should write it down and put it in the box so they could "forget" about it. He opened the lid to reveal an empty box, "Mom's troubles are over now, she's with Jesus." This is the wonderful hope and promise we have after we have trusted Christ.
Published by Amy Kreger
Amy is a stay at home mom who resides in northern Minnesota. She has been married for 9 years and has 4 young children. View profile
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10 Comments
Post a CommentExcuse the error, I meant the "only thing that matters"
We lost a dear friend suddenly this spring. He had been undergoing chemo and pneumonia got its hold on him. I am envious because he is with Jesus now and not suffering on this earth! Christopher, being saved is not the only the that matters when you die, because what you do on earth does gain you rewards in the afterlife(or the ultimate penalty, eternal separation from God--some call it Hell). No life is useless or meaningless.
Jeanne Marie Kerns: "I guess as a person who does not believe in religion..."
Well, it pretty much exists whether you believe it does or not.
Anyway, nice article. Way to put things into perspective
This a great article. Someone close to me died a couple of years ago and i still find myself crying hard when i think about how she was such a great person and the different things she missed out on.
Check out my article about it, The Day I Went To Heaven
Lovely article. When my husband passed away it was very sad, but I felt his release of pain to the joy of going to heaven.
Very nice article.
I guess as a person who does not believe in religion,I see this differently. My father passed 2 years ago and his death was extremely painful and slow. Lasted 4 days. Sitting there hour after hour waiting for his organs to shut down one by one. There was nothing joyous as you say about his death to me. He suffered tremendously. I didnt sit there and think about how I would see him again when I died. I wanted him here now while I am alive..! Its a great write if you believe, but not all of us do.. :-)
It must be strange to be a Christian contemplating death because nothing that the dead person did in their entire life matters. All that matters is that either they were saved or not, and everything else was just a waste of time because none of it is relevant to their afterlife. I am sorry if you are grieving, but it must be so much worse because your loved one's life was so useless and meaningless because, compared to the far extremes that Christians pretend the afterlife is like, nothing matters. I will hope that you will soon find your way out of Christianity and into happiness.
Tuesday, May 8 is the third anniversary of my daughter leaving us for heaven... I know it is hard to lose people you love. I adored my grandmother, but when she left us for heaven, I did not mourn much, as she lived a full life of 89 years. This time of year is hard for me as I miss my daughter, even though I know I will see her again... Her broken body was healed. Not exactly as I was hoping, but she has been healed nonetheless. I look forward to the day my family is reunited...
I have lost a few close family members and a best friend of 15 yrs. I know your sadness but it is very rewarding to know that they were right with Jesus. Great Story Amy..