The Promise Of The Ressurection

It was the day before he died, I walked into the house and found him bent down with sorrow. “Papa, would you like to walk with me and then share another Sun set?” He lifted his head and offered me his gentle smile and said,”Yes.”

We walked slowly stopping often and then took our seats facing West facing the setting of the Sun. “Sarah, what do you think Isabelle is doing now?” A few years ago I had taught a study on what the Bible tells us about Heaven, earlier that week his beloved wife of sixty four years had died. I looked into his dear face and my heart was touched by his great grief. Ours hearts were heavy but we comforted ourselves with the promises of God.

I did not know then what I know now. That would be the last evening I would ever share with him this side of eternity. We talked about the promise that, “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.” Revelation 21:4 We shared our grief, we shared our hope, we shared the comfort of the word of God. We sat and talked about the love of God and while we watched the Sun set behind the mountain we also watched as two butterfly flitted about and our hearts were gladdened by the beauty of God's gift of nature.

The next morning he died and that evening I sat alone and watched the Sun set. Yet I wasn't alone the two butterfly that had blessed Papa and I the night before returned. I watched them again and my heart was gladdened but this time it was not only their beauty that comforted me but the reality they were a picture of the resurrection. I heard once that the Christian view of death is like a group of mourning caterpillars carrying a cocoon like a casket. Above there is a beautiful butterfly staring down in disbelief. The butterfly reminded me that there is the promise of new life even in the midst of my grief.

Both Papa and Ma Belle had requested that the their memorial service focus on the gift of salvation. They wanted the good news of eternal life to be told as we gathered to grieve their death. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 On the last night of Papa's life he told me, “I love this month, I love this season of Spring because it reminds me of new birth.” How fitting that God should choose to take both Papa and Ma Belle into His eternal presents during this time of new birth.