Peace At Last

The past days for our family, have been filled with anxiousness for Cheryl's father-in-law, who had surgery for a ruptured aorta and lay in a hospital in Tulsa. He fought with all he had to regain his strength and overcome the odds he faced. However, it was not to be and he went to his Heavenly Home leaving a tearful family behind. In time, the grieving family will move on with their lives just as he would want them to. And they will forever be blessed with the memory of a very loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend.

What kind of legacy will you leave when your time on this earth is up?  What kind of memories will your loved ones have? 

I wrote a poem that I'd like to share with you. I know others of you are facing or have faced the same thing our family did. I hope this will be a comfort...........

Peace at Last

Last night I stood in the shadow of Death,

For the mercy of God I did plead.

I ask for release from the bondage of pain,

And the Lord, praise His name, saw my need.

A quietness, a stillness suddenly came unto me.

A peace came over my soul.

As the voices of loved ones faded away,

I watched all of Heaven unfold.

My wonderful Savior with arms open wide,

His smile like none I had seen,

Came gently toward me and held out His hand.

Yes, now there was nothing between.

The brightness there was like thousands of suns,

The voices of angels did ring.

They stood all around the great, white throne,

Singing Hosannas to my Lord; to the King.

I searched Heaven for faces I'd known.

I looked passed millions it seemed.

And, suddenly those who had gone on before,

Were all there....this must be a dream.

Tears of joy filled my being; at last I was free!

No more tears; no more pain to endure.

Peace was mine at last for eternity,

With my loved ones, my Lord, safe and sure...........

 

Jo Ann

Are You Authentic?

It was a hot summer day. My friend and I were sitting on the steps of my old back porch carrying on a big conversation like eight year old do. Suddenly, I looked up and saw a man dressed in an old shabby overcoat and an old hat. He was coming around the corner of the house, head down, stumbling along as he came. My friend was continuing to talk and hadn’t spotted the man. I got up very quickly; ran across the porch to our back door; opened the screen; jumped inside and locked the screen. My friend suddenly saw the old man, jumped up and ran to the door.  Try as she might to get in, I wouldn’t unlock the screen and we both just stood there screaming. The old man stopped, took off the hat  and began laughing.  It was my daddy, who was forever playing jokes on us.  Still shaking, I unlocked the door and ran to him throwing my arms around him.

I think there is a lesson in this. Things and people sometimes are not as they seem. We hear on the news everyday about instances where a mother has abandoned her baby; a quiet, unassuming person has murdered several people; a minister has committed the unthinkable rape of a child.

What about you?  Are you authentic?  Are you really the person people see, admire, and even love?

“ Dearly loved friends, don’t always believe everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it really is. For there are many false teachers around.” John 4:1 TLB

Although this is speaking of false teachers, I think it can also apply to all of us.  We need to be authentic.  We must not hide behind the old shabby coat and hat of our career or our family name.  We need to portray to the world who we actually are and what we truly believe. When we are tested , how do we measure up in the eyes of those around us? But, more importantly, how do we measure up in the eyes of God?