Living on this earth can be so hard. It is in those hard times we either fall or rise above. The situations of life are usually out of our hands, but how we react to them is fully in our control.
My Aunt Carol drew the short straw. She was born to a mother who didn’t want her so her grandparents adopted her. Yes, she is biologically my cousin however, she is legally my aunt. Her parents loved her deeply and she lived a life knowing she was loved.
In grade school – Carol not only was diagnosed with a severe case of juvenile diabetes but also it was discovered her mind wasn’t going to grow passed a 3rd or 4th grader. She would never be able to be hired for even the simplest jobs because her severe diabetes and spent her life on government aid. When she finally got her own home, it was the greatest thing to ever happen to her.
Carol made some mistakes in trusting the wrong people in her youth. As she grew & matured, she started to understand some people are not for her. Thankfully, there were some folks who took her under their wing. It was through those folks when she really found Jesus.
When she was diagnosed with diabetes, the doctors told my grandparents that she wouldn’t live passed 30 years old. It would have probably been true if she didn’t find God. It was her faith in God that sustained her and kept her even when her body started to fail her.
When I would talk to her, she would tell me that God still had a plan for her and that is why he kept her here. Her faith helped her grow and thrive for years. Even when she could no longer walk or leave home, she had a positive outlook on life because she understood that life was a gift.
Carol stepped into Heaven this past Friday (October 25, 2019) just a few months from her 50th birthday, proving the doctors wrong. It’s sad she no longer is here, but I know that her faith in Jesus led her to Heaven.
Her body and mind are healed and whole…something she didn’t have on Earth. What a joyful thought to know she is finally able to know what it is like to have a body that works and a mind that understands. Even though I’m going to miss her, I am so happy she finally is whole.
Living life for Jesus means we will live again. Living for Jesus means that Heaven is our home. All the pain of this world will fall away as we step into God’s presence.
If my Aunt’s life taught me anything…it is that Jesus is a sustainer and a redeemer. Carol would tell you that Jesus will help you through anything. If you don’t know Jesus, consider changing that. Consider accepting Him as your Lord & savior. Doing that will not guarantee that this life will be easy, but it will guarantee that you can overcome even the hardest obstacle.
Carol won. She was victorious. Her life was not in vain and she got her reward. Now, on the other side of Heaven, she is more alive right now than she ever was here on earth. What a promise God has for us who call him Savior, Redeemer and Friend.
“So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NLT
Boldly Radiant 