Pain Vanquished by Eternal Pleasure: Easing Out of This Life Into the Next

(Photo by Ally Holland)

“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he now revealed him to you in these last days” (I Peter 1:18-20/NLT).

It was the third week in February. 

A fresh layer of snow covered the ground and the sun was shining, but it was cold in a brisk sort of way.

I pulled up to the nursing home facility and sat in the car for a few minutes. The call had finally come, and I had boarded a plane and headed home  —  to northern Minnesota.

I had grieved over the years as I watched Mom succumb to Parkinson’s disease. So I was ready to be with her as she passed from this life into the next.

I was calm as I walked down the hall towards her room. It was exceptionally quiet. As I pushed her room’s door open, I was overwhelmed by a sense of peace.

Mom was lying on her left side. She felt warm, her breathing quick and shallow. I put a cool cloth on her forehead. She was unresponsive, as I knew she would be.

“Hello, Gloria Jo.”

I had started calling her by her first name as an endearment as we both got older. She seemed to like it.

She looked frail. I was thankful for my nurse's training and experiences. I might have been shocked by her appearance otherwise.

I came and went for a couple of days. One evening as I told Gloria Jo good-bye, I told her I’d see her the next day. She mouthed the word, “Okay.”

That was the last spoken word I had from her.

I came in early the next morning. I was alone for a while with her until my brother arrived. He asked for some time alone with Mom, so I stepped out of the room.

After he left, Mom and I were alone again. I sat on the windowsill in her room, watching her breathing begin to slow. I knew she was within minutes of meeting her Lord. Her Savior. Her All in All.

As her breathing slowed, then ceased, I watched her heart beating on her thin neck. It got slower and slower until it stopped.

I had just witnessed my mother ease into the presence of God. It was one of the most beautiful moments I have ever experienced. I knew her body was whole again. I knew she was overwhelmed with pleasure. No more pain and suffering. No more tears.

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:3-4/NLT).

The best thing of all, someday I’ll see Gloria Jo again, happy, healthy, and whole.