Death Does Not Own MeSample

REACH OUT BEYOND YOURSELF AND THRIVE! Just shy of two weeks, Dan went on his last visitation to a woman who was dying of cancer.  We had gone on a day outing and on the way to our destination, we passed the house of an old friend who we knew was dying.  Dan said, “On our way home, I want to stop and see Pat,” and we did. Dan’s time was progressing rapidly. He lost another battle; the ability to eat or drink.  He could no longer swallow.  Church family, family, and friends visited non-stop. One Pastor drove from another state to see him. His birthday was on a Tuesday, so we decided to have immediate family into our home the Saturday before to celebrate with him.  He was so weak, yet still joked, smiled, and even tried to sing along with his sisters at one point.  He desperately wanted to taste his cake, so we gave him a smidgen, but it didn’t do well at all. On his actual birthday, he wanted to sit out on our deck, and we helped him descend the steps. > “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul, or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:25-26 Every human being on earth will face their death one day.  Some die young, some die old, but how they live their life, their losses, their circumstances in between, will matter. Only when we live our life for Christ, not for self, will we become eternal victors! Dan died 5 days later.  It was a Sunday morning at dawn.  He fought strong till the end and was only incoherent for one day.  During that time, he called out my name twice and the last call was at 6:00 a.m.  Our family gathered around him and sang and prayed, and at 6:18, I lifted his hand and told him to take the hand of Jesus.  He took his last breath on earth and his next breathed in heaven! I walked out of the room where he lay and went into our foyer by myself, and as my foot hit the last step, this verse came to me. > “Sing to God! Sing praises to His name. Exalt Him who rides on the clouds—His name is the LORD—and rejoice before Him.  A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.”  Psalm 68:4-5 In my grief from my loss, I knew the Lord would defend me, just as I know that whatever you are facing if you trust and believe in Him, He will carry you through. CAN YOU RELATE? I shared a very personal story with you, to walk you through a man’s many losses in life and to show you that we can take two paths.  We can wallow in ourselves and cause our demise or reach out beyond ourselves and thrive. Somehow when we reach out, the loss we are experiencing seems easier to deal with. One may think, well he died! Dying in Christ is not losing, it is gaining and that is why I can honestly say, “Death does not own me!” WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY IN THE STUDY: • We may lose some battles before we win. • How we live daily, especially during circumstances will matter. • Learn to trust the Lord and He will see you through. > "Whatever you are facing, it does not own you!" We hope this Plan was an encouragement to you! Explore other resources from Eternity Matters with Norma at [ www.facebook.com/eternitymatterswithnorma ](http://www.facebook.com/eternitymatterswithnorma "www.facebook.com/eternitymatterswithnorma" )