It’s so true, as CS Lewis said, that we ‘read to know we’re not alone.’ My sister, who has been battling cancer for nearly 4 years now, has been on death’s door for the past month. We all speak about wanting her to be free from her frail body, yet we know it will hit us just as you said-”Oh no, she’s gone!” We’ve been trying to “prepare” for her death for some time now, but it seems there’s no adequate preparation. Thankfully, we do put our faith and rest in our eternal hope in Jesus Christ. But it helped so much to read your post, and realize that these seemingly contrary emotions are..ok.

Thanks again! Praying with your family as you continue through this strange journey. Blessings.

I am especially encouraged by the way Jesus spoke of his own death: “Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father” (John 13:1). This is how I want to view death.

Like you said, it doesn’t remove the sting but without these great and precious promises, we would be hopeless lost in our grief. Yes, death is the departure from this world to go to our God and Father, who is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (II Corinthians 1:3-4).

Death is a departure from the physical body to go to be with our Savior and Lord. ”We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8). “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23).

How grateful I am for the reassuring words our Savior spoke: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).

May you be comforted in the nearness of our Savior’s presence!