i have just gotten home from a 2 a.m.- 6a.m. shift at the hospital with mom. the nurse and i gave her a bath and rubbed lotion on her and she rested very quietly and peacefully. it was really very precious time.
Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
'Death, be not long.
Death, be not hard,'
we prayed.
But days stretched year-like
and when death came, God
it was not easy
as we had prayed.
Quiet, but not easy.
Forgive my complaints;
for precious to You
is the death of Your saints.
-Ruth Bell Graham
PRECIOUS to the Lord are the moments between life and death, i looked up the meaning of that word in the original hebrew to see what God meant... certainly He mean PRESSURE- FILLED because my heart, my mind, my soul is bursting with the pressure of this. i think it might fill me to bursting if it goes on much longer. but that isn’t was God means, He said “precious” and He means it (He usually means what He says)...
here is the definition from stong’s ....
1) valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid
1a) precious
1a1) costly
1a2) precious, highly valued
1a3) precious stones or jewels
1b) rare
1c) glorious, splendid
1d) weighty, influential
these hours with her are costly, they cost me sleep, they cost my family some mommy time, they cost me my emotions, but these hours are highly valued. i am so glad i have them with her, with my dad and my siblings.
these hours are rare, not everyone gets the chance to sit by their mother’s side and rub her shoulder and sing to her and tell her how very much they loved her.
these hours are weighty, they weigh heavy on my heart, they feel heavy as they pass.
these hours are influential. i will never be the same again. i will never take life for granted quite like i did before (at least i hope i don’t). i will never leave my dad’s side without telling him how much i love him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
these hours are glorious, they are splendid. i would not exchange them for the rarest jewel. they are my thankful poem to her, they are my gratitude song of praise to Christ. these hours are precious. and once again, God’s Word proves true.