No more suffering

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Rev 21:4

My father-in-law suffered--melanoma, prostate cancer, broken bones, and Parkinson's disease. Yet he never complained. He lost the ability to keep his balance, to walk, to speak, and even to eat; at the end, he could barely even breathe. His muscles and his entire body betrayed him, gave up on him, yet he continued to fight to the very end. I watched as this quiet and gentle man, whom I loved and respected so much, wasted away to a cruel caricature of his former self. He took his last breath on August 29, 2016. And even though I know he is free from suffering, I selfishly want him back.   

Even though over the past three or four years, I helped him walk, fed him, prayed with him, and held his hands, I remember him most for how he helped me--with his humor, his strength, and his calmness. He was, as my husband said at the funeral, a rock. Always there to lean on. A quiet strength. Heaven is a better place with him there.  

And though I miss him terribly, I am so very grateful his suffering is over.  

And I look forward to the day when I can join him and that great cloud of witnesses    

 “O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 1 Cor:15:55-57