Graduation

"I am calling it a graduation, not a funeral," she announced.

She had been thinking about this for a long time.  Having gone through a near death experience with her recent bout with brain cancer, she had a refreshing and open attitude about death.  She had compared her feelings with other cancer patients and discovered that those cancer victims with a Christian faith now had no fear of death.  Cancer is such a frightening, paralyzing word that everyone associates that word with death.  But death can come to each of us at anytime, not necessarily from cancer.  So how does one prepare?

She realized that everyone basically ignores, denies or fears death.  Today's culture worships life with all its comforts, joys, pleasures, materialism,  physical fitness, fashions and self-glorification.  Why be worried or even bothered with the thought that life will end one day; however near or far.  Life had so much to offer....certainly things would go on 'forever' just as they presently existed.

That's the frame of mind she had been in.  Life was good....no health problems (her yearly physical exams were close to 'boring'), four super accomplished well educated children, twelve healthy wonderful grandchildren, no financial worries, a husband who adored her.  What could be better?  Oh sure, she knew someday the end of life would come...yes....someday....somehow.  And she had a strong faith.  She believed Jesus.  She believed He rose from the dead.  She believed she would go to heaven.  After all He had promised that and she had accepted Jesus into her heart.

But then reality and 'the day' had arrived.  "You have a rare, aggressive cancer in the brain.  You have seven weeks to live."  The words of the oncologist rang in her ears.  That had been the unexpected moment....the 'bell' had sounded.

The week before the brain biopsy was the worst week. The cancer had not yet been clearly identified and therefore no treatment had started.  She was acutely ill.  Family members later told her she was dying before their eyes!  Hideous nightmares flooded her brain.  She could not sleep.  The nightmares interrupted her sleep as she experienced an eerie, strange battle going on.  She felt an evil spirit engulfed in a dark, oppressive cloud trying to pull her toward him.  And yet she felt loving arms encompassing and holding her.  What was going on?

And then it became obvious to her.  Satan was trying to pull her to him and Jesus was lovingly holding her.  At one point she said, "Why are you trying so hard to get me, Satan?  I'm not that important."
A dear friend of Glenn and Stephanie, Maya a powerful prayer warrior, came to her aid and strongly commanded Satan to leave, in Jesus name!  The nightmares stopped.

On the day of the brain biopsy, she had a strange dream.  She was in a tunnel, sitting in a wheelchair.  The tunnel was quiet.  A continual procession of figures, cloaked, with faces unseen, passed slowly and quietly by, from left to right.  She had the absolute impression she was on her way to heaven.  Then suddenly, someone turned her wheelchair around and she woke up in her hospital bed.  She often thought of that moment.  She knew the Lord had made a decision that he wanted her in this earthly life for a while longer.

She had concluded this earthly life is a school.  There is so much to learn, choices to make, we have free will to live the life we choose.  God is always present in this earthly life to teach us, to give us choices.  As she looked back over the many years she had lived, she knew that she had made many mistakes, done a lot of stupid things, said insincere and hurtful comments....yet God loved her and forgave her.  The naive, self-centered schoolgirl had studied, followed the Biblical coursework and would at some time 'graduate'.  Probably not with 'honors' but at least with 'recognition'....true and faithful servant.

So now she was preparing for that glorious "Graduation Day" when she would graduate from this earthly life to spend eternity with Jesus.  Instead of a 'funeral' or 'memorial' she wanted it called 'graduation'.  And on this Easter Sunday, what better way to celebrate that thought.  "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6)   What an incredible gift!  Jesus rose from the dead!  We have the assurance we will enter Paradise because Jesus defeated death!

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."       John 14:1-3