Tag: heaven

Tales of Truth: Holly’s Story – Part 2

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

Last week, I shared with you part one of a true story about a single mom named Holly who had a very sick daughter, Gem.

At the hospital, Holly watched through the glass as the nurses plunged Gem into an ice bath to bring down the fever. One of the nurses yelled, “We are losing her!” Holly was shuffled to a waiting room as the medical team worked on Gem.

After what seemed to be hours later, a nurse came out and began to ask Holly all sorts of questions about Gem’s medical history, what Gem had eaten that day, what medication she had been given. Wait, medication. Holly had given Gem an over-the-counter pain reliever to help bring down the fever. The nurse asked the name of the medication and then ran back into the room. Holly did not even get an update on how Gem was.

Several hours passed, finally Holly was brought into a hospital room where Gem was laying unconscious in a bed. There were tubes, cuffs, and machines hooked up to Gem that were breathing for her. A doctor came in and explained to Holly that Gem was in a coma and needed emergency brain surgery. Her brain was swelling and she was going to die. The surgery was experimental and had never been performed before. The chances that Gem would survive at all were slim, but the surgery was at least a chance. The doctor shoved some paperwork in front of Holly and told her to sign it so they could prepare the operating room. Holly hesitated. The doctor said for Holly to either sign the paperwork or go plan a funeral. Holly signed.

The next day after many hours of waiting, the surgery was finally over. Holly was escorted into a hospital room where Gem was laying. She was unconscious and had even more machines and wires hooked up to her. Gem’s skin was now a gray color. She had a shaved head that had many stitches in it and monitors taped all over. Holly asked the nurse, ‘what happens next?’ The nurse simply said, ‘we see if she wakes up’ and left the room.

Holly had asked her Gramma to pray even though Holly did not believe in church, prayer or Jesus. Gramma visited Gem often and prayed over her. In fact, Gramma’s entire church was praying that God would heal Gem, it would take a miracle. Gramma told Holly that Gem was going to be fine, God was at work. Holly watched as Gem did not get better and there were no signs of a miracle. Gramma encouraged Holly to pray too, after all, there was nothing to lose.

Over the next two weeks, various medical team members would enter the room and share details of what happened and why. Through their visits, Holly learned that Gem had died, but the medical team was able to revive her. Holly also learned that the type of illness Gem had became deadly when the patient was given a certain over-the-counter pain reliever. Wait, medication, like the exact one that Holly gave Gem? Holly could not believe what she was hearing. The over-the-counter pain reliever she gave Gem almost killed her!

Holly learned from the surgeon that no one had ever survived with this illness after they had been given that over-the-counter pain reliever. The medical teams were of varying opinions as to whether Gem would wake up, and if she did, how extensive her brain damage would be. As Holly waited day after day for Gem to wake up, she decided to start praying too, she had nothing to lose.

The next day, Gem woke up. She could breathe on her own and move her body. Some of the tubes were removed, so she could talk and eat. Within a few hours, Gem was able to get out of bed and walk, it seemed that her brain had not been impacted at all. Despite dying and the tiny chance of survival she was given by the medical teams, God chose to save Gem, He was not done with her yet.

Within a few days after she first woke up, Gem was sent home. Holly and the medical teams had seen a miracle take place! As Holly helped Gem get comfortable in her bed at home, she decided she would start to pray, after all, there was nothing to lose.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You that You bend down to listen to our prayers. Thank You that You care so much for each of us that every hair on our head is numbered by You. Thank You for loving us and listening to our prayers, no matter how far we have roamed from Your path. Thank You for Your peace and love. Help us to share You with everyone we meet. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

Tales of Truth: Holly’s Story – Part 1

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

Last week, I shared a true story with you about a young girl named Gem. Today, I am sharing the true story of Holly, Gem’s mother.

Holly grew up very poor. Her father had an affair and then ran away with her mom’s best friend when she and her siblings were young. Holly’s mom was working long hours and several jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Holly, being the oldest child, became the parent to her siblings, doing the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry and so on. While Holly did what needed to be done, she dreamed of having her own family and house with a loving husband who would never abandon her.

When Holly was in high school, she met the man of her dreams. They got married as soon as they graduated and started a family together. Within seven years, Holly and her husband had five children, Gem was the fifth and final. When Gem was 4 weeks old, her father ran away with a high school cheerleader.

Just like her father had left her mom, Holly’s husband abandoned her and the children. All of the pain that Holly’s mom went through was now hers to bear.

As she was growing up, Gem was sick a lot, in and out of the hospital for various illnesses. Her father was not in her life, she wondered if he even knew Gem’s name, let alone cared about how sick she was. One July day Gem complained of a headache to Holly, her mother did not think too much of it. After all, it seemed Gem was usually sick with some illness or another.

Holly did not have time to take Gem to the doctor, she was working long hours and several jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Besides, Gem’s older siblings would be home and could keep an eye on her. After a hasty call to the family doctor, he told Holly to give Gem an over-the-counter pain reliever to bring down the fever and take away the pain from the headache. That is what Holly did.

Out of nowhere, Gem’s fever went up to 103 and then 104 and kept climbing. At the hospital, Holly watched through the glass as the nurses plunged Gem into an ice bath to bring down the fever. Holly began to think this illness was different.

One of the nurses yelled, “We are losing her!” Holly was shuffled to a waiting room as the medical team worked on Gem. As she sat there alone, Holly could not grasp what was happening. She felt helpless as she wondered if her youngest child was going to live or die.

Holly did not attend church, she was too busy for that and she did not believe in prayer. In her desperation to do to something to help Gem, Holly called her Gramma. She did go to church and her Gramma did believe in prayer. Gramma then called church members and the word spread that immediate prayer was needed for Gem as things were looking grim.

Holly thought that even if Gramma praying did not help, it certainly could not hurt. . . .

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for every breath we take. Thank You that You fill our lungs with air and give our hearts the strength to pump our blood throughout our body. Thank You for medical teams and for healing. Thank You for Your peace and love. Help us to share You with everyone we meet. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.

Tales of Truth: Gem’s Story – Part 2

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

This is part two of a true story about a young girl named Gem.

Laying on the ground and looking up the clouds was Gem’s favorite thing to do. She would pretend she was a bird and could just fly away. Gem was sick a lot, in and out of the hospital for various illnesses. She was never as sick as that one day in July.

Gem heard one of the nurses yell, “We are losing her!” The bright lights over the table were blinding, they burned Gem’s eyes. Those lights were the last thing Gem saw. All the chaos and the yelling and the pain was gone. The burning bright lights gave way to a different kind of light. This light was all around Gem, everywhere. It was soft and bright at the same time, but it did not hurt her eyes. The light was so comforting and full of peace. While Gem cannot explain it, the light was love. She wanted to be in the light, it was like an incredible hug. The light made her feel free and at perfect peace.

Suddenly, the light was shrinking as if it was going into a tunnel, it was leaving! Gem tried to grab the light and hold onto it. She tried to run towards the light but something was holding her back. Gem wanted nothing more than to stay in that light. She wanted to follow it and become a part of its love, peace and beauty. As the light got farther and farther away, Gem started to hear the sounds of chaos – machines buzzing, nurses yelling, and maybe there was someone crying. She did not care, Gem wanted to feel that light again. Why was it leaving and taking its peace and love away from her. Gem felt sad that she was not strong enough to fly away and follow the light.

When Gem awoke, it was two weeks later. She was laying in a hospital room with the television on. A family member she loved was there and began to talk gently with her about what happened. Gem did not want to hear any of it, she was very hungry and asked for a cheeseburger from the fast food place in the hospital that she knew was there from all of her other hospital stays. Most of Gem’s medical equipment had been removed by this point and only two pieces that could be rolled around were left. The family member put Gem in a wheelchair and wheeled her to the fast food place.

After Gem ate her cheeseburger, they returned to her hospital room to discover a horrified group of nurses. The family member was asked what they were thinking and at the same time Gem was being asked how she felt. Gem felt fine, but she wanted that light back. As the nurses checked Gem over, she closed her eyes to try to find that beautiful light again. She wanted the calm it gave her. She wanted to feel the love she felt coming from that light. How did that make sense, it was a light – but it was love and brought peace somehow. Despite all of her attempts, Gem has yet to see that light again.

Gem was told that she died on the table and was gone for some time. As the medical team was working on her body, Gem’s spirit ascended like a bird toward heaven. But it was not Gem’s time, she had more life to live, it was too soon. God breathed the breath of life back into her lungs and she gasped her way back into the chaos, the yelling, and the arms of her loved ones. But things were different.

Later on, Gem came to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She felt that same inexplicable peace and love. As Gem began to read the Bible, she understood that Jesus is the light of the world. Gem now carried that peace and love and calm inside of her everywhere she went. Gem realized that with Jesus in her heart, she IS the light. The light was now hers to share with as many people as possible.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for every breath we take. Thank You that You fill our lungs with air and give our hearts the strength to pump our blood throughout our body. Thank You for Your light and for healing. Thank You for Your peace and love. Help us to share You with everyone we meet. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

Tales of Truth: Gem’s Story – Part 1

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

I am about to share a true story with you about a young girl named Gem.

Laying on the ground and looking up the clouds was Gem’s favorite thing to do. She would pretend she was a bird and could just fly away. Gem was sick a lot, in and out of the hospital for various illnesses. She was never as sick as that one day in July.

Gem complained of a headache, which was not one of the symptoms she usually had from the other illnesses. Then came a high fever, a very high fever. The family doctor was called and thought it was a typical virus that Gem had picked up. She did, after all, have a weakened immune system. The doctor said to take an over-the-counter pain reliever to help bring down the fever and relieve the pain from the headache. That is what we did.

Out of nowhere, Gem’s fever went up to 103 and then 104 and kept climbing. A trip was made to the hospital, the same hospital where Gem had been admitted many times for various illnesses. This was different. She tried to focus on being a bird and flying away. The nurses plunged Gem into an ice bath to bring down the fever. Gem was losing consciousness, it is hard to know if that was because of the pain, the fever, the stress on her body or the shock of the ice.

One of the nurses yelled, “We are losing her!” as they tried to fight whatever illness was ravaging her frail body. Gem was placed on a high table so it was easier for the medical team to work on her. There were tubes, cuffs, and machines hooked up to Gem very quickly to assess her organs and take over her breathing. Everyone was running around and yelling instructions. The bright lights over the table were blinding, they burned Gem’s eyes. Those lights were the last thing Gem saw.

All the chaos and the yelling and the pain was gone. . .

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for every breath we take. Thank You that You fill our lungs with air and give our hearts the strength to pump blood throughout our body. Thank You for medical teams and for healing. Thank You for Your peace and love. Help us to share You with everyone we meet. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

Hospice – What You Should Know

On By JCIn Miscellaneous, Wounded Butterflies BlogLeave a comment

Hospice is a term that means a person has reached a point in their health journey when the medical world focuses on making the patient comfortable versus trying to heal the person’s body. The goal of hospice is to manage the person’s pain and to make their end of life period as dignified as possible. I worked in hospice for years, and learned some things about death and life in that environment.

From a practical perspective, the patient’s toes and fingers may start to turn blue or gray as they near the end of their life. They may also see loved ones who have died and start talking to them or about them. This is the beginning of their transition from the earthly realm to the spiritual realm. This can be upsetting to some families as they hear the names of deceased loves ones being called out, just know that the patient is not hallucinating. Families should not tell the patient they do not see the person that has already passed away. No one can possibly know what the dying person sees and does not see. This transition between the earth and eternity has occurred at almost every single death I have witnessed. It is as if the patient’s loved ones who have passed away are coming to comfort the one leaving earth behind.

There may come a time during the patient’s end of life journey when their breathing becomes labored or delayed, feeling very spaced out between breaths. Some medical folks call this the ‘death rattle’. Once a patient enters this labored breathing phase, there is not too much time left. If you have not already said everything that you want to say to the patient, time grows short.

One of the most difficult things for someone to say to a loved one who is departing this life is the following, “It is ok to let go, I will be ok.” These words are incredibly painful to say to someone that you actually do not want to let go. But, out of deep love for them and to give them peace as they transition to eternity, try to tell them it is ok to let go and that you or whomever they are concerned about are going to be ok. I have had to say those words to someone that I love deeply. It felt like my heart was being ripped out. But I knew she was fighting to stay because she was worried about me and that I would not be ok without her. I knew there was no path to recovery and I knew that she was in terrible pain. Within 15 minutes of me telling her it was ok to let go and I would be fine and that I loved her and would see her again one day, she drew her last breath. I held her hand as she slipped into eternity and I prayed out loud for Jesus to come take her home.

While death is a very difficult topic, the opportunity to choose where you will spend eternity is now, during life. For my loved one, she knew Jesus as her Lord, so it was easy for me to tell her that I would see her again. It was easy for me to ask Jesus to come gather her into His arms and take her home because that is how believers transition from earthly life to eternity – Jesus holds us in His loving arms. But the choice must be made now, this is in Scriptures. John 5:24 says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” And Romans 5:10, “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Of course, a more familiar verse is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Choose life. And help your loved one choose eternal life with Jesus if they have not already made the choice. When a loved one is dying, that is not the time to be embarrassed or ashamed – that is THE time to talk about Jesus.

Let’s pray. Lord, I lift up all of those who have loved ones that are in hospice. Please be with them and strengthen them for the season they are in. Please touch the situation with Your peace, light and love. Please bring those that do not know You to You. For we know that precious in Your sight is the death of Your saint as You bring us home (Psalm 116:15). Thank You for the promise of eternity with You. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

The Lord’s Prayer – Line by Line Part 3

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In verses Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

The third line, “Your kingdom come . . ” means that we are asking for and desire the return of Jesus. This is the cry of every believer’s heart, for our Savior to return and right all of the wrongs, take care of wickedness once and for all and to permanently remove the devil from the earth. For people who believe Jesus is the Son of God, this will be an incredible time, we will worship Him all together, in person forever. “He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4

Credit: JC

There is a tension with this portion of the prayer that we must consider. Once a person has accepted Jesus as their Lord, they will spend eternity in heaven, regardless of what they may do after they have accepted Him. But for those people who have refused to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and died for our sins, once Jesus returns, it is too late. They will spend eternity in hell, the Bible does not show the ability to change your choice once you are forever dead. That is why when believers pray ‘Thy Kingdom come’, we are filled with joy and peace in the promise of heaven. But we must not forget that Jesus left us here to tell as many people as we can about His love for them. He does not want anyone to go to hell, but the choice lies with each and every person. While we pray for Jesus’ kingdom to come, we should be busy telling everyone we can about it.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. May we share Your love with all people while we await Your return. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

Secrets to Life – Part Two

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Knowing that we have a finite amount of time to live, it makes sense that people would want to know if there are any secrets to life. Last week, the first secret was shared. Today, the second secret to life.

Credit: JC

Money and time are two things that most people would say they can never have enough of. Each of these are precious resources that every person can use in a productive way or in a wasteful way. The second secret to life is to give back to God at least 10% of your time and money. James 1:17 says every good and perfect gift comes from above. God gave it all to us to borrow, it is not ours. This includes any money we may receive and each day that we wake up is another gift of time.

Investing into the work of God through the giving of money and/or time guarantees that you will have what you need here on earth and you are storing up treasure in heaven. Matthew 6:19 to 21 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This means that as you invest into heavenly work, your heart will be focused on the things of God. As this world swirls into chaos and breaks down more each day, your heart will be anchored directly to God, His peace and His love.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, please help us to invest into your work through time and/or money. Help us to store up treasures in heaven so our hearts will be there and not buried under all the weight of this world. Thank you Lord that we have this promise to grab onto. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.