Seasons

I once gave a speech using the well known passage from Ecclesiastes 3. These few verses explain our last few weeks. “To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die.” This is a paraphrase of verse 11 – God has made every thing beautiful in His time.

Sometimes life gets in the way of faithful blogging. Though I continue to work on my novels and hope to reissue them in a few months, (after editing them for the thousandth time!) blogging requires a different mindset. It’s almost like I have to process life issues before I can share them. (Unless it’s a rant, which in truth, I should process before I share it!)

After a number of physical challenges, our new little princess, Josie, was born. What a wonderful blessing and complete miracle! So beautiful! She even takes after her Grammie – if you count the double chin and chubby legs.

On the other end of the spectrum, Ronald’s older sister passed away yesterday after a stroke nearly two weeks ago. The process of dying is something I am trying to figure out. Or is that even possible?

As I was thinking about Psalm 23, I did a study on it. The picture above is a picture of a road between Jerusalem and Jericho known as the Valley of the Shadow of Death. It is a rugged and dangerous path but said to be one of Israel’s most beautiful landscapes due to its rugged scenery. Is there beauty in dying?

Because I am a believer in Christ Jesus, I know for sure that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The Bible says if I believe in Christ, though I die, yet shall I live. Jesus said  everyone who lives and believes in Him will never die. Cool, huh?

Like everything else in life, each circumstance is different for each person. When is the actual point of death for a believer? When does our spirit take flight to join its Creator? What does my spirit look like? Everything about death is a big question to me.

Though I often tease that I am going to the Grand Canyon to take a selfie and take a flying leap backward toward eternity, I wonder how it will really happen. The way I drive, it could happen locally any day! Sometimes while I’m exercising and during its painful aftermath, I’d swear I was dying!

I do know I’m not afraid of death because of my faith in the One who holds my present and my future. The pain involved in the meantime is probably a process most people have to go through. Quite frankly, I’m not much a fan of pain. But if it gets me moving’ on toward my final, glorious home – Bring it on! (I do hope God gives me a few days notice so I can make sure most of my house is a little bit clean and straightened.)

I hope I don’t offend anyone with this blog. Death is serious. I just can’t figure the whole thing out. To cope with not knowing, I need a bit of humor. KaraBeth’s Katharses, remember?

Blessings

KB

The picture is from bible places.com.