Thursday, January 12, 2017

Beyond this Life

Sorry for my long, dramatic post in advance. Just kind of having a downer night thinking about people that have passed away recently, Ron Soderstrom (a beloved man from Mora that we went to church with for several years at Quamba Baptist Church ... always greeted me with a big hug when we would come back and visit after moving to Pine City and had faithfully served the church and served as greeter week after week, year after year) and Carl Steffen (Mayor of Sandstone...didn't know him well, but he always had a smile on his face and would say "hi" when I saw him at the office visiting my boss).
It all brings me back to my own mom and dad, unfortunately. Though I am sad and teary-eyed tonight, I saw this video from Lauren Daigle that really resonated when she talked about her grandfather dying. There really is something beyond this life. Don't be deceived by the enemy saying there is nothing and attempting to draw you away from the Lord. There is much more than what we have here today. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt. I know this because I have faith in the Bible and what it says is true, and the Holy Spirit tells me so. But also because the night my mom passed away, before I knew she was gone, God gave me a dream of her. A dream like I never had before. She was running, even skipping, and swinging both her arms and there was green all around and sunlight and she was happy in a field of flowers, of daisies-her favorite. She was happy like I hadn't seen her happy in several years, especially since she had a stoke which left her unable to use her left side. I woke up that Sunday morning feeling happy because of the dream but wondering why I had it.
Before we left for church that morning, it was around 9:00 and I got a call from Dorothy, her neighbor in the apartment, saying she had found my mom and she had passed away. According to the coroner, she had died around 4:00 am. God gave me the dream after she had passed into His presence ... showing me exactly where she was and that she was okay... and with God more importantly. She was more than okay. I will never forget that dream.
And I will also never forget that my dad (because of the faithfulness of our pastor at our former church, Rev. Ivan Fiske, who drove to Rochester to pray and witness to my dad a number of times on his death bed, and because of my grandmother Dorie's prayers and witness to him and my many years of prayer) had received Christ and I know is with him now. There is no doubt in my mind.
There is life beyond what we see here. Something better. Somewhere where we will be healed and will be smiling.
Trust in the Lord Jesus tonight :)
Lauren Daigle testimony

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