I normally put my phone by my bed before falling asleep. Last night, I left it sitting on my desk and wouldn’t you know it, a friend decided to text me early this morning. Normally, I reach up and grab the phone and take a quick peek to see if I need to respond. Well, I realized then that I left my phone on my desk. So, I rather slowly decided to get out of bed. When my feet hit the cold floor, I was instantly awake. As I sat at the desk rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I decided to check out my Facebook page. At the top of the page there was a post from my friend Nick, my eye happened to catch the first few lines which gave me a feeling of sadness. The kind of lines that tell you someone had passed away you know those kinds of lines.
As I read on, my friend Nick was talking about someone we both were fortunate to have spent time with. It was our friend Ted. I first was introduced to Ted because he had worked at the YoungLife service center where I had an office. He was what we called a second winder (someone who had a career before joining YoungLlife.) It wasn’t long and both Ted and his wife Nancy were also involved in the local area ministry. Someone like Ted who had already achieved great corporate success also had a passion for young people and so Ted was deeply committed to the cause. He also took a real interest in each of us and was always interested in hearing the latest news.
Any time someone passes away, it is always a sad and difficult experience for all who knew the person who passed. We all want to express our sympathies at such times. For much of my life, I struggled greatly any time I knew someone who passed away. It wasn’t until recently that I felt secure enough to even attend a funeral. A friend I recently got to know experienced the loss of her brother and that friend spoke of her experience and read a few lines from a book she found great comfort in. The book is titled Imagine Heaven by John Burke. The subtitle reads, “near-death experiences, God’s promises, and the exhilarating future that awaits you.” The subtitle alone drew me in and I wanted to pick up a copy of the book.
I have had since the age of 10 and dealing with my sister’s passing a sense that there is something beyond this life. I have even had a few experiences that affirm my belief and one reason why I continued to seek out answers through my youth. The author takes what is considered a taboo to some Christians that of discussing near-death experiences or NDE’s and rather than dismiss people who have had NDE’s looks at them for possible clues as to what heaven is and what we may experience once we actually pass away.
The details are so many and vast that you really need to read the book yourself. What I can say is that Ted and others I know who have passed are experiencing a wonderful reality and life we know only a little about from religious text. Even with this awareness, there is no dismissing of the emotional pain that comes when a loved one passes away. Those emotions should be expressed and felt deeply as it means the absence of someone we love or care deeply for. What the book has done is to give me a perspective as well as some personal comfort and reassurance.
With the holidays coming and so many are dealing with loss because of the virus, we need to be even more present and aware of those who have suffered losses. I hope when we encounter people who have lost loved ones this year will take a little extra time to comfort them.
I dedicate this post to Ted and the others I know who have passed to the other side.
Thoughts? E-mail: francisearly@francisearly.com
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