VALLEY OF SHADOW AND LIGHT

In the Valley of Shadow and Light
I can already see beyond the night
Wrapped in darkness like a cover
Heaven’s closer than a brother
O, I’m longing to be on the other side

O, that longing of an ever-living soul who’s ‘passing on’ from an earthly body that’s ‘passing away’!!

While she was in hospice care, I remember several times hearing my mother lament, “What’s taking so long?” She longed “to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8). No more suffering. No more pain. Only complete wholeness and peace and joy, forever and ever. Amen.

There’s a river that runs deep and wide
Between shadow and light a great divide

Now there’s the rub… how we get to ‘the other side’. After all, the fear of death is the ultimate separation anxiety! And yet we are still mysteriously drawn to what lies beyond, and to those who will be there waiting for us.

And across that dark, cold water
I see mother, I see father
O, they’re waiting for me on the other side

Sometimes I make a mental list of loved ones who have gone on before me. Sometimes I even write down their names on a piece of paper. My precious loved ones… I miss them so much!!

What names do you have on your list?

The older I get, there is one name that comes to mind first. And the older I get, my heart understands why. It’s Jesus. After all, Jesus is the reason I will even be there. Jesus is the One who died to get me there! And Jesus is the One at the top of my list.

I can feel my heart slipping away
To the land that shines brighter than the day
Soon I’ll be with my dear Savior
I will sing His praise forever
O, I’m longing to be on the other side