Death without the Lord does not bring peace

Oh

woe

To be

lost,

separated

forever

from Him

who came

and lived

among us

who died

for our souls,

for our freedom

from

damnation,

continual torment.

Dead.

No more,

no more.

It is finished.

The Book closed,

clamped shut

at your last breath.

You

the unbeliever

reside

among

the cowardly

the immoral

the murderers

and

sorcerers,

idolaters,

liars

in a place

of

fire and brimstone.

There is no peace.

"I am the Alpha and The Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone..." (Revelation 21:6-8 NKJV)

(c) February 19, 2011

Our loss, heaven's gain

Our loss
heaven's gain
camaraderie shared
is no more
only memories
remembrances
of gladder moments
and our own
entrance through
heaven's door
brings comfort
and assurance
of the hope
and peace
given us all
through
The One
who came
and gave
His life
His love
so we
can become
whole and complete

Our loss
heaven's gain
absent in body
present in spirit
present at the feet
of Jesus
The One
whose life and death and resurrection
gave us
gives us still
New Life

A new life
renewed every morning
to inspire us
and to share
His love with another.

(c) May 14, 2012

We are not separated from His love

The family gathers
surrounding the loved one,
whose life is withering
away, becoming more absent
with each passing breath.

Of all that is
that was
and that is yet to come
we are not separated
from the love
of  the Lord,
our  God of Hope
and Promise.

We are not separated
from His eternal
and everlasting love.
We are kept, surrounded by
Him, who in the midst
of our pain and agitation,
gives us true freedom, and
release, our light still shining with the glow

of  The Holy One within. 

© May 6, 2012

The pain will be no more ....

The end
The final word
is not for us to say
or know
Only God knows
and gives the answer
when the path
we take in life
is finished.

Young or old
it is God alone
who fills us, completes us.
We trudge onward
pursuing in faith
that place only He can bring us

Reaching that golden shore
where everything that mattered
does not matter
where seeing and being
with our redeemer
and loved ones gone on before
is within reach

The burdens of our life
however big or small
lifted
when we accepted
Jesus' offer
to shoulder our load of distress
to take on our guilt
The pain and suffering remained
remains still

But that too will diminish
and be no more
That moment He calls us home.

(c) May 6, 2012

The Blackness

The Blackness
dark
blank
deep.

Do we crawl under
Do we dig deeper

The walk we travel
is it
will it
are we okay
are our wishes and desires
different
have we given up,
given in
do we still feel safe
is the Lord protecting me
have we now become more real
more human
more guilty
are we closer to knowing,
to understanding
the meaning of
participation with God
in His suffering?
is this, this personal suffering,
yet abiding in Him

some days the blackness goes away
and we
see the light
And our desires
are to be with Him, our Father
but our hour has not come
He is not yet ready for us
Our rooms are not quite prepared
We must still wait

In our perception of good days
we hang on
me and they
they and me
each to each other
to memories we cling
to another's future
and wish we could
see them then
but we have them now
and it must be enough

The Future - the days ahead
not ours to know
not mine, yours or theirs

We walk on
slowly
quickly
with purpose
we have people to see,
places to go.

Remember,
God goes before you,
behind you too
He surrounds you,
He is right there beside you
Do you feel His presence
He is carrying you.
His love knows no bounds.

(c) March 30, 2012

Windows

Shadows peaking
Sunlight floods my soul
When I'm not looking
It's dark
Where do they go?
Death comes
stealing our dignity
Windows
Everywhere
I don't want to go
I don't want to stay
Life is easy compared to this
Life is full of moments
Death is full of pain.

Not always
But here, now
It is.
Windows
One way
I am the way
Jesus is the way
Windows
Reflections
Memories
Going away

(c) September 16, 1996

one week before my mother's death
(11:25 p.m. Sept. 23, 1996)

Suicide

People give in
give up
Quit
There are some
who do that
Why?
What have they achieved?!
nothing.

Tired of fighting
of repeated attempts
of trying

Give in
give up
Don't do that.
We were given life
You, me
Everyone of us.
It is not for us
to take it away

Only God.

We must persevere
Persist
Endure
... to make life worth living.

(c) July 7, 2007

Death

Death comes
like a thief
in the night
silently
tiptoeing
ever so quietly

We hardly know
it has come

Except
in the aftermath

Our loved ones
family, friends
gone.

Only our memories
will keep them
alive
within us.

(c) July 4, 2007