She's Gone

She’s gone.  Hall and Oates sang a song by that name in the 70’s but I have something else in mind. My mother-in-law passed away last week at the age of 96. She had lived with us for the last 7 ½ years.  Her mother had actually lived to the age of 101, so her longevity was not surprising to us.

            I am aware that “mother-in-law” jokes are a dime a dozen.  I have none to tell.  Chris and I got along very well. In fact, we shared a couple of inside jokes that we didn’t share with her daughters. 

            Life is so difficult to understand.  My mother died at the age of 67. So Chris had almost 30 more years on this earth.  Why is that the case? We simply do not know. The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote, “Man knows not his days,” a simple reminder that we do not know the length of our own lives. It is not in our hands to know the how or the timing of our death.

            So, what do we do?  In Psalm 90:12 we read, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” In other words, live each day so as to honor the Lord and to seek to know Him better.

            As a Christian I have hope for the future beyond this world. I believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, and because He was, all who trust in Him will do the same.  I believe that I will see Chris again one day, along with my own mom.  My faith is based on the truth of Jesus’ resurrection and the promises of God.

            Do you have that same hope? I pray that you do.  The resurrection is the greatest hope of the believer.  God is going to finish the work He started in you. You can count on it.