Heaven Is Richer

“Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:54-57 NLT)

A few days ago, when I learned that my precious sister had died, I realized that I now have a greater investment in heaven than ever before. I have a greater incentive to share the good news of a loving Savior because God’s Word has once again proven trustworthy and true. She passed peacefully and gracefully from this life to the next because she was filled with hope in the Name above all names – the Lord Jesus Christ!

The last words I heard Patti speak were “Jesus, please take me soon,” and He did! While my heart is breaking, even as I write I sense God’s presence giving me assurance that He does all things well and His clock always keeps perfect time.

We can question God’s timing and second guess His will, but in the end, it’s not about us. It’s only and always about Him. From future perspective we’ll see that all the pieces of the proverbial puzzle were aligned, and Patti’s passing was as the flow of the ocean gliding upon the shore, only to return to the “Ocean” from whence she came.

In His kindness God loaned my sister to us for nearly 80 years (on right in above picture). God alone knows how many lives He touched through her life; how many souls will be in heaven because of her sensitivity to the Lord’s leading. The Holy Spirit flowed in and through her kindness and compassion as she walked with others through the very process in which we find ourselves today.

She faithfully served in her church’s Grief Share ministry and in other ways opened her heart and life to others, enabling them to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Why do I share these things with you, most of whom have never met Patti?

Because, while she had feet of clay like all of us, she was able to maintain the sweetest, most contagious display of the fruit of the Spirit of anyone I’ve ever known. I want to be more like the Jesus I saw evidenced in and through her life. Of course, she wasn’t perfect, but as she aged, the closer she walked with Jesus, the more her life reflected the heart of her Savior.

That’s what I want for me. That’s what I want for you. Some believers I’ve known say they’ve walked with the Lord for “X” number of years, but all they’ve done is live the same life over and over every year. There’s no significant increase in fruitfulness, no intentional effort to grow in their likeness of Jesus. Same language, same habits, same level of infancy spiritually. That wasn’t the case with Patti.

My sis loved Jesus and loved His Word. She walked faithfully with her husband, who came to Christ as a result of her love and faithfulness. She walked faithfully with her brothers and sisters at her local church as long as her health allowed. She was a giver, not a taker. Even in her death she donated her eyes to help someone see again.

Every life she touched was better for it. She was among the gentlest, kindest, most compassionate persons I’ve ever been privileged to know. She was my most faithful “cheerleader” for my blog. She not only read my posts, but she also printed them and put them into a notebook.

Please pray for my nephew and niece. A huge hole is now in their heart because their mom is no longer physically with them. They’re grieving differently but both need the Lord’s light and life to guide them in their healing process.

I’m so grateful for those of you who read these posts so faithfully. Thank you for your prayers and your kindness. May the Lord bless and use you to His honor and fame, as He used my precious sister.

Blessings, Ed 😊