An Awesome Chariot

Straining grape pulp from free grapes Abuela and Abuelo picked for us.My,how we feasted on fresh grapes too!

Today an aquaintance of ours and the very good friend of some of our best friends passed away. She was close to death for a number of days but rather quickly took a turn for the worse. And it got me reflecting on death.For a Christian the part of death that's sad is the leavetaking,I guess. The good-byes.It's like going on a long,long trip or rather like moving away from a beloved neighborhood forever. And when you love someone,you don't want to say good-bye for long.See you later is much preferred. But dying,especially for those left behind,feels so permanent. For the human part of us, we know and plan to meet one another in that place we call Heaven. But it feels so different from our current reality that it's hard to comprehend.If we dig a little deeper the soul knows and yearns to return Home,our real Home and our Father,Abba Father.

This is where I want to focus and teach my children to focus on . I remind and teach them that true reality is that our bodies are shells for the everlasting Real part of us which comes and returns to the Father.I tell them about Home,of golden places. I want them to have an underlying reality of something bigger and truer than what meets the eye.

"...but I know to be absent from this body, is to be present with the Lord,and from what I know of Him,that must be pretty good." approx. words Sara Groves song

Let's learn to think of death as a natural part of life, to live more comfortably with it's ever present shadow in our lives. So Death, when you come with your Awesome strength, you will not take me entirely by surprise. I'm gonna be sad for those left behind,but beyond that I want to rejoice when that impressive chariot of yours rolls up. For I trust Paradise is the destination.

May we all meet one day at the golden gates! Glory!! Marcella