Blessed Assurance

A couple of days ago, one my and my late sister's best friends passed away. Her name was Sharon. Like my sister, she had cancer. Like her late sister. Of course, another friend of ours, the young Katie Elliot, also lost her battle with cancer. Cancer. It claimed my father 25 years ago. He would have celebrated his birthday next month.

I'm not going to think too much about the cancer that has taken so many people away from me. I'm going to be thankful for the salvation that they are resting in.

Sharon fought a five-year battle with her disease. When she started wearing down from the fight, she left Alaska and went home to Washington state to be near her mother. When my sister Mike passed, I thought about how close she and Sharon had been. The two of them loved each other, annoyed each other and treated each other like a lot of "real" sisters do.

People who don't believe in my God won't understand this, but I am so happy to know that Sharon and Mike are together in Heaven.

Today I've been remembering my two sisters and missing them, but I am also so happy for them. There is a song that keeps coming to my mind when I think of all the people I've lost. It just gives me the strength to keep fighting this battle of life.

Blessed Assurance

(by Frances J. Crosby, 1873)

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels, descending, bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

As broken as my heart is right now, those lyrics sum up all the healing I'll need. I hope that Sharon's family can take comfort in the assurance Sharon believed in. I hope that anyone - no matter what state their life is in - realizes that everything that we are right now, and everything we have, is just temporary. All the money and fine things we might have or not have, all the worries and sadness - everything - it's all temporary. I pray that everyone will live for the eternal life of peace that can be ours.

Peace
--Free