A Heart That Will Never Break Again

Psalm 23:6 ~”Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.” As October is nearing the end, I am reminded of this month 30 years ago. I believe Psalm 23 may be the most memorized verse of the Bible for many of us. When I was a boy in Sunday School, it was the first complete verses I learned. On a beautiful October Sunday morning, my Dad seemed to be overfilled with joy, and a light glowed around him! My wife and I were planning on joining the church the following Sunday. Our pastor asked my Dad if he wanted to join too? Dad replied, “Yes! It will be nice for our family join together.” After church that morning, Dad wanted to take his tractor for a ride to check for fallen trees to cut into firewood the following weekend. When he didn't return for hours, Mom called and asked if Kay would go look for him. When she arrived, they heard his tractor coming. After a few moments, she looked out the kitchen window to see him lying by the rear wheel! Kay rushed down to be with him as Mom called 911. He suffered a massive heart attack and was admitted in the ICU unit of the hospital. The following day, a member of the ICU staff called and said he would not not live through the night. Kay was already staying at the hospital to be with him. By evening our family was gathered around. He wasn't able to speak because he was hooked to several machines and had a tube inserted down his throat. Yet his eyes spoke to me, saying “I will be leaving you soon...but I will see you again.” He passed away in the early morning hours on Tuesday. Two years before he had found a church he felt comfortable in. Our family left the churches we were attending to be with him and worship together. Since Dad had planned on joining the following Sunday, he was made an “honorary member.” I've heard a saying, “A light bulb shines the brightest just before it goes out.” This was how my dad ended his earthly life. He was a loving father and a good provider for our family. He loved the Lord and his church family also. And the Lord provided an even greater gift! That when our earthly life is over, our Heavenly life begins with Him! Since my dad passed so quickly, most of the tests they took came back 2 weeks after his passing. The Doctor's said he had chronic heart disease. If he would have taken the tests 5 years earlier, they would have removed the bottom 1/3rd of his heart, put a plastic bag around it, and he would have been bed fast the rest of his life. We were so thankful he was able to enjoy those last 5 years serving the Lord and having close fellowship with his family. Psalm 49:15 says, “But God will save my life and will take me from the grave.” I am thankful for the times we had together even though I was still in my Thirty's when he passed away. I am rejoicing that he is in Heaven today! Praise the Lord for his love and mercy! I am thankful for His comfort during this dark time for us... In closing, I am reminded of the words of a southern gospel song, “I'll have eyes that will never fill with tear drops, and I'll have legs that will never ache with pain, and I'll have hands that will never age and whither, and a heart that will never break again!”