The strife is o’er, the battle done;
the victory of life is won;
the song of triumph has begun.
Alleluia!
So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall. We must never stop looking to Jesus.
Hebrews 12
Yes, I know “The Strife is O’er” is officially an Easter hymn. But, driving back from the Hospice House in the early hours of Saturday morning, the opening verse came to mind and it would not let me go.
The struggle really is over, and it absolutely has been a battle over these past few days. But – and this is so powerful and so true – the very moment that death looks to have the final say, it is utterly defeated, because “the victory of life is won!”
This gives me chills! I could stand on the rooftop and shout out loud! Life wins. LIFE WINS!!!! Because of God’s proactive love, Jesus has invited us not into religion but into life; because of this, even in death we can experience – if we listen closely – “the song of triumph” bubbling up.
Life and light and love fill us, they animate our time here in this “temporal” experience, they spill over, and then they put death in its proper perspective. Death is not a finality, not an ending, but a kind of semi-colon, a transition point into the rest of the story.
The Battle:
But I cannot, I must not, gloss over the struggle. This year has been hard; the past months have been extremely difficult; these few weeks since she broke her hip have been marked by so much pain; this week has been excruciating.
I do not mean to sound impious or irreverent, but God and I have been having some hard conversations about suffering, and we are nowhere near a satisfactory understanding! But the point is to be involved in the dialogue more than looking for tidy conclusions. I have a long long way to go, but I can say I am prepared to hang around for “the answers in the back of the book.”
So that’s it. If you are wondering “how much more?” there is going to be, then the status of this subject is – as they say in the sports world – “day to day.”
As for me, I will continue to invite anyone to watch me work through this mess by looking over my shoulder as I write and, if you want, throwing in your two-cents via the comments.
As always (and I say this because it is true) “In love, and because of love” – DEREK
Derek as always, I appreciate your genuine-ness and vulnerability. Elder care and walking the road you have to see your Mum home has not been easy. I believe it is in those moments of “when I am weak, he is strong.” May you find comfort and peace in your Mum’s life well lived. Though suffering has been a part of the journey may God sit and hold up as you reflect and heal.
I thank God for both your parents.Your mum is in heaven now worshipping Jesus for ever and ever just like dorothea is .We will all be there oneday together .Love from uncle john.First time Ihave been taught how to do a blog so I hope you Receive it.Please let me know as would like to know if you have.Thankyou.
Thanks, John. And congratulations for learning how to comment on a blog!
I’m sure all those saints will be getting up to mischief together in heaven now!
Derek, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. As I read your words it took me back to when my husband John, the love of my life, died. I felt relief that his suffering was over from Lewy body dementia. But I was puzzled and a bit confused by the euphoria I felt. That was absolutely the last thing I ever expected to feel. Maybe at some deep soul level it was the victory of life being won that was the source of that euphoria. I was confident that he was now home, whole and happy again. But I learned that grief takes many forms.
Thank you for sharing your journey.
Your Mum was special indeed.
Derek,
All I can say is what I think every time I read or hear your words. Thank you.
I will be looking on.
Don
Derek, I began my Mother’s Memorial Service, standing alone at the back of our little Sanctuary, and sang:
“The Strife Is O’er, the battle done.
The Victory of Life is won.
The Song of Triumph has begun.
Alleluia!
The powers of death have done their worst,
But Christ their legions has dispersed.
Let shouts of holy joy outburst.
Alleluia!