A dear friend in pain

The last time I posted was on Friday. I talked about father's day and how we should tell our dads how much they mean to us; that we should seek to reconcile with our fathers if we aren't on good terms with them. And if they've passed on, to pause and thank God for them and all that they did for us before they were called home.

Early Saturday morning I got a call from one of my closest friends in the world. Unfortunately, it was not a joyous call. She informed me in the first ten seconds of our conversation that her dad had passed the night before. My heart sank because I could imagine the pain my friend was going through. Her dad was relatively young, in his fifties, so I knew the death wasn't expected. As we talked, it became evident that he had been facing some serious medical issues. He had been in and out of the hospital for the last few months. Still, they didn't think he was in critical or any indication of imminent death. The first hint they got was when he asked for all of his grandchildren on Wednesday. They didn't think much of it because he loved his grand kids. But in retrospect, it was perhaps and indication that he knew how serious his condition was.

Again, he was normal on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday morning, my friend said she was to go home to get ready for something that day. But when she picked up her husband from work that morning, for some reason he drove to the hospital instead of going home. She told him they were supposed to go home, but they were already close to the hospital. Well, withing minutes of arriving at the hospital, things began to take a serious turn for the worse for her dad. In less than an hour, he was called home by God. Again, in retrospect, she thinks that her dad had made her come to the hospital. Perhaps it was God's way. She was very strong. Her voice was strong, not once quivering or shaking. I found it quite astonishing because this girl worshipped her dad. She loved him more than anything. She even commented that her husband and family had been shocked at how composed she was. And she credits all of that to her closer relationship with Christ. We had helped encourage each other in our walks with Christ, through texts and social networking sites.

She shared with me that she was concerned about her sisters, who weren't as strong in their faith. They were attempting to place blame for their fathers death - on the doctors, on their mom, on whatever their grief told them to blame. I counseled her to talk to her sisters and make sure they realize that their father's death was no one's fault. That it was just his time. King Solomon said that there is a time for everything.: a time to live and a time to die; a time for joy and a time for sorrow. When we start going down the blame game, that's a never ending abyss that some of us never get out of. There are many people that let grief take over their life and often become bitter because they are trying to find blame on something that happens to all of us.
She said she found comfort in knowing that this life is not the end. That she will see him again. The pain is real. The loss is real. But the separation is temporary. Giving our lives to Christ and becoming a Christian won't spare us from the pains, trials or challenges of this life. But it will give us the freedom to know that no matter what THIS life throws at us is nothing compared to the glory that awaits us in the next life.