My big brother passed away on June 2. He cheated death many times in his colorful life. The loss of my brother was large. He took up the space in everyone’s heart and in every room he entered. He was charismatic, witty, and fiercely loyal, but he was living on borrowed time. Nonetheless, we are dealing with grief and the shock. It was a surprise that someone so full of life could be gone in an instant.
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days;
    let me know how fleeting my life is. Psalm 39:4
The Hope
As we deal with the stages of grief, we aren’t without hope. Randy knew that he couldn’t get to heaven on his own merit, and he took Jesus as his Savior. Until that day, we will embrace the lesson of fleeting human life and hold on to the hope of seeing my brother again one day. We look up to the Lord, who is our hope and our strength.
” Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life]. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [as in fact He did], even so God [in this same way—by raising them from the dead] will bring with Him those [believers] who have fallen asleep in Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 4:12-14
The Honor and the Lesson
One way to honor my brother’s memory is through the shock we experienced in God’s gracious way of taking him home. There was no hospital stay, no life support, and no suffering. It happened in a moment. My brother woke up, not knowing that he would step into eternity later that day. My lesson is that I need to enjoy and embrace my life more. I honor God and the grace with which He took Him by realizing that my next breath isn’t guaranteed. If you don’t have the assurance of heaven, now is the time. We aren’t promised tomorrow or even our next breath. If you have any doubts at all as to whether you will step into heaven, why not pray the prayer below?
I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2
The Prayer
Dear God, thank You for giving me this life to live. You say in the Bible that no one is perfect and we all sin. Thank You for sending Your Son to pay the price for my sin. Thank You for this sacrifice; I embrace Your grace. I lay my sins at the foot of the cross and walk away forgiven and heaven-bound. I ask for more years on this earth, but at the moment of my last breath, I have the assurance that I will step into heaven. Thank You for loving me and making a way for me to live eternally and see my loved ones again. In Jesus’ name, amen.
