For Heaven’s Sake — Friday


Revelation 21:5b
Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (NIV)


We’ve talked all week about Heaven and have left a ton of things unsaid. I’d like to wrap things up today with a story that Joyce Landorf shared several years ago in her wonderful little book, Mourning Song:

"I sat there in the hospital room, as the doctors were inserting tubes into my mother’s chest, preparing for a painful siphoning procedure as she lay stricken with lung cancer. There may very well be a more painful treatment procedure, but I've not seen it. 

As I held my ever-resilient mother’s hand, she said, ‘Joyce, honey, sing for me! It'll help the time go by!’ One of the doctors intervened, ‘Now ma’am, I’m sure your daughter’s too tired to sing.’ Then my sometimes-cantankerous mom retorted, ‘Listen Doctor honey, I paid a fortune for her voice lessons, so when I say “sing,” she sings!’

‘Well, what should I sing, mom?’ I expected her to request something like ‘His Eye Is on the Sparrow,’ or ‘Amazing Grace.’ To my surprise she said,Joyce, sing “The Sound of Music!”’ 

I never expected that in that hospital room with the doctors and nurses, tubes, jars and equipment, even the cleaning woman, that I would sing ‘The Sound of Music’ to my dying mother, but I did, as I held her hands tightly.

The window was open that day, and a slight ocean breeze wafted across the room. It seemed to revive mom, and when I got to the final stanza she lifted her head toward the window and bravely and majestically sang those last four lines with me:

‘I go to the hills when my heart is lonely.
I know I will hear what I've heard before.
My heart will be blessed, with the sound of music,
And I will sing once more.’

I suddenly realized that mom didn’t need a religious song… she already had that assurance! She just wanted me to sing an opening prelude, an earthly overture, if you will, for the great heavenly concert that was about to begin… for mom."


Friday’s Reflection

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying… “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:3-5)

And they are, friend, now and forever.


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Counter Culture: Forgive One Another — Monday

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For Heaven’s Sake — Thursday