For Everything there is a Season

For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born and a time to die…

A time to weep and a time to laugh ; and a time to mourn , and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

 

Recently I worked with two families who were facing the death of their loved ones. The first involved an 80+ year old who was told by his physician that there was nothing more he could do for him. He was dying--and this was overwhelming for both him and his family. It was hard for them to even say the word “dying”. We talked for over an hour about his and the family’s wishes and what was important for them during this time. He held firmly onto my hand during our conversation as if just by holding on, he could make this all go away.

 

The second patient was a younger man whose body rapidly took a turn for the worse. As I sat with his elderly father, we talked through the family’s decision to remove the ventilator, feeding tube, and other technology. The doctors would keep him comfortable while life support would gradually be withdrawn. The father did not know what to expect, but he knew the family had made the right decision to let him go.

 

The above Ecclesiastes passage came to my mind during both these cases. We are all in the act of dying over time, some longer and some shorter. The love in these families was very evident, and as they struggled with “dying,” both had spiritual support through their faith and the hope of a better life to come.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your love throughout our lives from birth to death. Thank you for your blessings so that even with the finality of death there is the promise of a new life to come. Amen.  

 

Nancy Hall