On March 23, 2015 my dad went to the emergency room for stomach pain and trouble breathing. He was admitted to the hospital and his gallbladder was removed on his birthday two days later. After surgery we were informed that he had cancer. My dad declined treatment and decided to transition to hospice and was soon discharged to the hospice house. During my time with him there, we spent hours together eating strawberry ice cream, watching baseball, and talking, about everything.
After a time, he discharged from hospice and went to rehab to get stronger. He gave the rehab therapists the hardest time. We would laugh when I would encourage him to participate in therapy. He would say " I wasn't in this good of shape before I got sick."
My dad wanted nothing more than to go home. After a while, he was able to go home to the house he and my mother shared. There we would stay up late, watching marathon episodes of Family Feud and you guessed it, more baseball. I didn't complain because I didn't know how many more days I had with him.
On a Saturday evening, we transferred him back to the hospice house to make him more comfortable, with the hope to return home soon. After a few days we were given the report that it was unlikely that he would return home. One week and one day later, this daddy's girl, held her father hand and sang "For Your Glory" as he took his last breath and transitioned from Earth to Heaven. On September 6, 2015, I experienced the death of my father.
Experience: an event or occurrence that leaves an impression on someone.
Painful experiences, like the death of loved one, can leave an impression on our heart and mind. These impressions can negatively govern and guide our life moving forward, if we are not introduced to something new.
The death of loved ones in my past, left the impression of pain, sadness, and heaviness on my heart. Had I relied on my past experiences with death, I could have easily been prepared to expect the same or worse with the passing of my father. However, during the time of my father's illness and eventual death, I encountered something different. Peace.
Encounter: an unexpected meeting with something or someone
In the midst of one of the most difficult times of my life, I did experience pain and sadness. However, this time there was a peace that I could not describe. The unwavering peace of God kept me.
Do not worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7
This peace I encountered was unexplainable. It interrupted my experience of what grief was supposed to be in that moment. The peace of God strengthened me to walk through the illness and death of my father. It strengthened me to deliver his eulogy. I encountered the Prince of Peace.
Don't remember these earlier events; don't recall these former events. Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? Yes, I will make a road in the desert and paths in the wilderness.
Isaiah 43:18-19
Had I allowed what I remembered about my past experiences of death and grief to guide me at the time of my father's death, I would have missed my encounter. I would have missed the new thing that God did in my heart. My encounter with the Prince of Peace reveals the importance of always expecting God to do a new thing, no matter how dry and desolate the situation may seem.
Life happens. The good and the bad. When life offers negative experiences, let us not respond based on what we remember happening the last time. Let us be careful to recognize God's ability to change the course of our destiny, even if He has to make a road in a desert place.
One encounter with God can remedy any negative experience from your past.
For Reflection:
Are there past negative experiences that I have allowed to guide my forward movement in life?
Take a moment to reflect on encounters that you have with God
Am I willing to allow my encounter with God to guide my destiny, regardless of past experiences?
Scriptures:
Philippians 4: 6-7
Isaiah 43:18-19
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