An Unforgettable Hour

Saturday, May 12, 2018.  That's a day I'll always remember.  Here's why...

I was called to the home of a young woman who had a terminal illness.  She was on her bed.  Nurses had put her in a pretty dress and set a corsage on her as well.  They had fixed up her hair and got her looking great.  While she laid on her bed, a man was standing beside the bed with a smile the size of Texas on his face.   See, this was their wedding day.  And I was there to marry them. 

It was a brief but meaningful time.  They both indicated they wanted to be husband and wife.  She even managed a smile or two.  He was a happy groom.  And when I told him he could kiss the bride, he did so enthusiastically, several times.  It was a neat moment.  One of the nurses quickly snapped the above picture, which was my hand holding on to the bride and groom .

The two nurses and I stood there by her bed, and we were touched by what we saw.  Love was in the room.  Joy was in the room.  And, little did we know, something else was too.

That something else, was death.

See, just a few minutes later, things began to change.  She started to act differently.  We watched as she laid there taking some deep breaths.  And then, this new bride, slipped away into eternity.  She died right there before our very eyes.  Less than an hour after she entered her marriage, her soul exited her body. 

Her husband cried.  Her son grew quiet and punched a wall as he walked out the room.  The nurses and I stood there taking it all in.

Dell, Beebe, and I were reminded of something that day.  Life is a heavily mixed assortment of joy, sorrow, pleasure, pain, beginnings, and endings.  In life, we rejoice on the mountaintop and we grieve in the valley.  And that's just as true for people who do believe in God as for those who do not.  Nobody is immune to it.  As Jesus once said, "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."  (Matthew 5:45)

Here's the one stabilizing factor in all this:  Jesus.  See, that young woman knew Jesus as her Savior and Lord.  He had forgiven her sins.  He had saved her soul.  He had allowed her to marry the man she loved.  And He made it possible to go to Heaven when most newly married couples would be going on their honeymoon. 

As crazy and unpredictable as life can get, Jesus is the rock to which we can cling.  He is steady and immovable.  And no matter what may come our way in living, loving, and even taking our last breath on Earth, He will see us through. 

I'll never forget what my friends and I experienced on Saturday.  Never.  Yes, it was painful.  But, there was a glorious, silver lining to the cloud.  In the midst of that painful moment, Jesus stayed with her, Jesus gave her entrance into Heaven, and Jesus granted her the ultimate healing. 

Hold on to Jesus, friends.  Hold on to Him.  There's nothing more important than Him in this world of ups and downs.