My Sister Has Passed Away

Unfortunately for my family, my sister passed away today. Although she was released from the hospital about a month ago and was doing pretty well, we knew she still had a way to go in her recovery. She passed on peacefully at her home. God gave us an amazing gift over the last few months, and I'll talk about that more in another post soon.

At times like this my head and my heart battle. In my head, I know that my sister, who is a believer, is no longer struggling. No longer in pain. No longer having to fight. That her lungs are restored, and she is able to sing — which she loved to do — better than she ever has, to the One that she loved to sing about, and she gets to do it in person.

But my heart hurts.

It hurts for my brother-in-law, who lost his wife of twenty years; for my mother, who has lost a child; for my other sister and brother, who lost a sibling and friend; for my daughter, having to deal with this type of loss for the first time; for my wife, who had to wait 22 years to get 2 sisters and now has lost one; and for myself, losing a sister, a friend, and someone that "got" what I am doing.

In Philippians chapter 2, Paul says he is glad that God healed Epaphroditus, saying that by healing him God spared him (Paul) "sorrow upon sorrow". I figure if Paul — who it's safe to say had a pretty Godly perspective on things — would feel that kind of grief, then the rest of us can too. I don't think that just because as Christians we understand that when a believer dies they "go to a better place", that means we shouldn't grieve. Allowing ourselves to grieve is a good thing I believe, and there is comfort that we don't grieve like those "who have no hope" (1Thessalonians 4:13).

I appreciate everyone that has been praying, and ask that you continue to lift up my brother in law and the rest of us, asking that God will provide peace, wisdom, and comfort.

I love my sister, and knowing what I know about God and Heaven, I wouldn't pull her back from where she is even if I could.

But that doesn't mean today didn't suck.