Suprise!

Remember Diana? Brave, hopeful, full of faith Diana?
If you’re lost check out my May 14th post.

Diana, Diana went to be with the Lord.
When I received the news that morning I thought to myself, “what?! God, really?”
It didn’t make sense, it was disappointing, annoying, painful...name it.

How could we all pray so hard, believe so much, try all we could … how could she have had so much faith, anticipated for the best, looked forward to the miracle and to tell of it… only for everything to vanish in one split second? Of course she would die eventually, one day but not nowwwww!!!! Because, because…..?!?!?!

You know that moment when you feel more intelligent than the guy that actually put your brain together?

His ways are not our ways. He holds the perfect plan. He works behind the scenes. He is perfect. Just look at things through His eyes, and it will make sense… Believe me, being calmed by this didn’t come easy. It was one of those processes – difficult.

Diana was orphaned as a little girl. A Christian NGO that takes care of destitute children took her in; changed her Muslim background story; she received Christ into her heart, to be her Lord and Savior. Having liver cancer taught her not take life for granted, opened her eyes to those who really do care about her, taught her to respect people more, and most importantly drew her closer to God. Diana believed she would be healed and live to testify of God’s goodness. She looked forward to being a missionary.  Her prayer was that her Muslim family would come to know God as she had come to know him.

One Tuesday morning, a couple of weeks after I had had a chat with her, I pass by her house and I could bet on anything that she seemed stronger. The next morning, I am told she breathed her last.

The pastor who shared during her service said we probably have so many questions, the most obvious maybe being 'why?' (Personally they were all ringing in my head). And that there are so many things we don’t know, and that death seems to interrupt so many good things but ......we do know that Christ loves us no matter what and that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. He shared these lyrics:

I have a friend who just turned eighty-eight

and she just shared with me that she's afraid of dying.

I sit here years from her experience

and try to bring her comfort.

I try to bring her comfort

But what do I know? What do I know?

She grew up singing about the glory land,

and she would testify how Jesus changed her life.

It was easy to have faith when she was thirty-four,

but now her friends are dying, and death is at her door.

And what do I know? What do I know?

 

Well, I don't know that there are harps in heaven,

Or the process for earning your wings.

I don't know of bright lights at the ends of tunnels,

Or any of these things.

 

She lost her husband after sixty years,

and as he slipped away she still had things to say.

Death can be so inconvenient.

You try to live and love. It comes and interrupts.

And what do I know? What do I know?

 

Well, I don't know that there are harps in heaven,

Or the process for earning your wings.

And I don't know of bright lights at the ends of tunnels,

Or any of these things.

 

But I know to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord,

and from what I know of him, that must be pretty good.

Oh, I know to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord,

and from what I know of him, that must be very good.

Diana, to the point of her death had inspired many. It’s interesting that even at her weakest moment, she believed and trusted God. She hangs on to the hope of a better life beyond this present life. You'd expect her to be angry, disappointed with God and telling people to pull out of the ‘heaven deal’ but no, before she died she told her brothers,

"I feel my days are numbered, but you guys hang on to Jesus, never leave him"

She said she was ready and that if it was her time she was willing to go. She was strong......

But I still sat wondering, so all the praying, hoping and believing????? ....... But sure, God's ways are not our ways.... She was here for a season and definitely for a purpose, I believe one she served well.

Besides, she is most definitely in a better place. And may be, she is looking down at us and singing this song:

 

Our prayers have all been anwered

I finally arrived

The healing that had been delayed

Has now been realized No one's in a hurry

There's no schedule to keep

We're all enjoying Jesus

Just sitting at His feet

 

If you could see me now

I'm walking streets of gold

If you could see me now

I'm standing tall and whole

If you could see me now

You'd know I've seen His face

If you could see me now

You'd know the pain is erased You wouldn't want me

To ever leave this place

If you could see me now

 

My light and temporary trials

Have worked out for my good

To know it brought Him glory

When I misunderstood

Though we've had our sorrows

They can never compare

To what Jesus has in store for us

No language can share

 I see now that either way, even in death, Diana is a missionary coz her testimony is with us, travelling through the mouths of the hearts she touched… And God did heal her, in so many ways that we might not imagine.