I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. –John 11:25-26 (NIV)

Death. We have probably all heard the saying, “Nobody gets out of this world alive” and that is very true.

We are all going to experience death. Many of us will lose a loved one (or several) before we die.

Sometimes they leave us quickly before we can say goodbye; other times we know they are probably going to die before too long.

A few years ago I sat with my mother for two weeks while she was in hospice. We were just waiting. She could not talk very well so it was just me reading and talking to her. Those days had a profound effect on me. I often think back to those two weeks. I knew my mom was suffering with her illness and that she would be in heaven and the pain would be no more.

We really don’t know the time and place when we will leave this world, but the longer we live the less time we have. As a Christian I believe that I have eternal life, and when I die I will go to heaven.

When I read the obituaries in the paper I wonder about their beliefs. I wonder if they believed in God and eternal life. Sometimes I stop what I am doing and say a prayer for them and their family.

Sometimes I wonder why God took them when they were so young and had so much to offer. When I read that someone committed suicide, my heart breaks – especially if they were young.

Maybe in the end we will find out why they died so young or why they took their life.

But then again, maybe it won’t matter because we will be rejoicing in heaven with the loved ones that left us way too soon!

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

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