A Sobering Reality

I spent some time this evening at the deathbed of a dear sister in the Lord.  She has only a few hours or perhaps days here on earth.  While at her side I read a devotional about her heading to the shore of heaven.  The side of the deathbed is a sobering and solemn place to sit.  Some once said that death is the great equalizer. Unless and until the Lord returns for His own at the rapture, we must all pass through the veil that is our earthly demise.

The Christian has much hope.  For we know that we will live after our earthly life.  We will forever be with the Lord. It is a particularly comforting truth at this time of year. My former BSF teaching leader called the resurrection the bedrock of Christianity.  So it is. Without a resurrected Christ we have just another dead religious leader or philosophical teacher.  Christ overcame death. 

The butterfly has traditionally been the symbol for the resurrection through the decades of the church.  Just like a caterpillar that enters a cocoon, Christ entered the tomb.  Neither remain. The caterpillar emerges as a beautiful butterfly. Christ emerged from the tomb after three days. He conquered all. He is risen.  He sits at the right hand of the Father forever interceding for the saints.  Praise Him. He is risen indeed! The deathbed for a believer is nothing but an open door to an eternity with the living Savior. Soon the cancer currently taking my friend's life will be dead. She, however, will be more alive than ever!