The Loss of Someone... Promotion to Glory!

Someone I know through work just went to be with the Lord yesterday - he was 92. I was a little surprised. OP and his wife are a very lovely old couple. I suppose I feel a bit sorry for his wife (about his age) being left behind and really, she is the weaker (physically) of the 2. In fact, I thought she would go ahead of him but I was wrong. God, in his old timing, chose to have OP first.

I suppose I should not be surprised by OP's sudden demise. God said in the Bible that we do not know when He will bring us home. It will be very sudden and unexpected. This makes me think of my unsaved parents and family back in my hometown.... my paternal granddad is 97 this year. On my recent trip back, a thought occured to me "Why is God keeping his life until this age? (not that I am cursing him) Is there a reason... perhaps to have a chance to know Jesus?" I really pray so. Granddad is still very healthy but we would never know... we have a language barrier, which makes basic communication already difficult. I do not know but God is all powerful. If He wills, He will bring someone to share with granddad. I have to continue to pray for him... and the rest of my immediate family and my mid-80s maternal grandma.

I also felt for OP's widow. I heard that she is happy he has gone home. Praise the Lord! But I am certain she feels the loss and missing his presence. She is rather frail and one of her shoulder was injured and her movement is limited. He has been the one caring for her. I assume her children will take care of her too, but she will be alone living in the retirement village. However I am very encouraged to see her strong faith and perseverence in the Lord. There is another 97 yo lady I know through work (she is single all her life). Both of them show me how it is like to persevere in Christ even when you are lonely. Their bodies are weak but their spirit is strong. Praise God for examples such as these.

This reminds me of a book given to me from the mum's group last year. I only began to read it in the past week. In its first chapter the glory of a godly woman, it says:

Your future depends on God , not on fallen man. Your security lies with your caring Creator's providence, not with your husband's paycheck. Your acceptance as a person becomes secure when God adopted you, not when your husband proposed to you. If you truly want to love, motivate and influence your husband, your first step must be to connect - to stay connected - with God. Find your refuge, security, comfort, strength and hope in Him.

This line of thinking is neither academic nor theoretical. Statistics show that most women will die as widows. Women, by and large, live longer than men. Since most women marry men as old as or older than they are, the math isn't all that hard to figure out. If you die while still married to your spouse, you'll be in the minority. Sooner or later, you're probably going to have to live without your husband.

This means the day will likely come when you will need strength, courage and character like you've never had before. You'll have to stand on your own. So then, why not develop that strength, courage and character now, while your husband is still living and you're not beside yourself with grief? Why not bless this world with the example of a women defined by God, living a life that reveres God, twenty or thirty years sooner than widowhood forces it on you? ~ Sacred Influence (by Gary Thomas)

I know it sounds morbid but it is very true, isn't it? Even though hubby is only 1 year older than me, statistically there is still a high chance that God will call him home before me. Although I have had thoughts (and fears) that hubby may go before me (and anytime for that matter), those thoughts have never come so close until now. I suppose all the more I need to grow in strength, courage and character as Gary says, so that I can stand on my own when the time comes. I know God is still refining me for His good and His glory...