Circle of Life

Sometimes life throws unexpected events your way. Other times you see the inevitable coming and just wait tensely until it gets here. Death is one of those things that is expected eventually, but the timing is sometimes what throws people. Over the past week, I've seen it both ways, and no matter how it comes or approaches, it still hurts when it arrives.
After five years of declining health and being confined to a bed for the past two years, Grandpa went home to heaven Friday morning. We all knew it was coming, and this was not the first time we prepared for the end, but even though I knew it would be soon, I still had to cry when it happened. However, the tears are not for Grandpa. Why would you cry for someone who is out of their pain and living with Jesus? Instead, we cry for those left behind that experience the hole in their life that the one who has left us used to fill. Grandma and Grandpa had been married 72 years. I cannot fathom being with someone for that long, probably because I am not married and have no prospects of it in the near future. But for Grandma, Grandpa has been her constant companion for most of her life. And for the past five years, he has been what keeps her going. All her decisions revolved around taking care of Grandpa. Without that in her life now, I am unsure if she will either embrace the new freedom she has, or fall to pieces. She's a strong woman, though, so though the time will be tough, I think she will be able to persevere.
That was an expected death. Sometimes, though, death sneaks up on us and waits off to the side, lurking to step in and take someone without notice. Last week I received news that a former member of our small group, Chris Murphy, was in very serious condition at a local hospital. He had been found unresponsive and with a 107 degree fever. When he got to the hospital, he experienced massive kidney failure and cardiac arrest. He is currently on life support and his parents have flown in from out of state and out of country in order to decide what to do. As of the last update I had, his condition was unchanged and they were meeting to decide if keeping him on life support would be the right decision. In this situation, death has not occurred, but it seems to be lurking just off stage. However, we know that with God all things are possible. If it is His will, Chris will be able to recover and continue his work here on earth by sharing God's love with everyone he meets. And if it's His will to bring him home, then we know that Chris will be praising Jesus up in heaven.
Those two situations contrast with each other. One, an old man who lived a long and full life; the other, a young man who just appeared to be starting his life. The common strand that binds them, though, is the love of Jesus. Both these men loved the Lord, and I know that no matter what happens, I'll see them both in heaven someday.
Amidst those situations relating to the end of life and fighting to live, there is also new life coming into this world. Within the past five days, three couples have announced that they are expecting their first child, all to be born in March or April. To me, this has been the ironic reminder that as one life ends, another begins. All the couples are very excited about the new life that will be joining their family, and I am excited for them! Apparently the old saying is reversed in this situation. I've heard it said that deaths come in threes, but it appears that instead births will be coming in threes!
Life is indeed a circle. We live, we die, and we receive new life with Jesus if we believe in Him. I pray for those that are experiencing loss, that they will find comfort in their time of need. And, I pray for those getting ready for new life, that they will find the strength and courage to lead the new little person joining their family through the journey we call life.