To a Saint on the Edge of Heaven
Three years ago, my grandmother died and entered glory. I still miss her, and catch myself looking forward to seeing her every time I visit my childhood home in Sacramento, CA. She is one more reason I want to go to Heaven.
A few days before her death in 2016, I wrote this letter and read it to her. By then she was already in hospice care, not able to move or respond except by opening and closing her mouth and kicking her leg. I hope that this testimony of God’s goodness to His own is an encouragement to you to run the race with endurance, until Christ returns or calls you Home.
2016.02.11
Dear Ngen Ngen [Cantonese phrase for paternal grandmother],
Our God has given you a full life. Every heartbeat, every breath, every moment of joy has been a gracious gift. How thankful we are to Him for you!
But, as the Preacher says, "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven — A time to give birth and a time to die."
For you, Ngen Ngen, it will be soon time to die. Fear not. For a Christian, the Lord is with us all the way. He who was faithful to lead you every step of your life will not fail to gently lead you home. "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones." The love of Christ your Savior has filled your heart since the moment you believed; and now, as He readies your heavenly home, at the last moments of this earthly life, He surrounds you with even greater love.
Rejoice, Ngen Ngen. Soon you will enter that final place of rest and joy — the heavenly abode of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Soon you will see your Savior's face and worship Him in perfect glory, the start of an eternity of joy. Soon there will be no more pain, no more tears, no more heartache. Soon there will be no more sin.
Soon you will hear the beautiful horns of heaven. Soon you will hear the angelic praises of our King. Soon you will hear the joyful songs of an uncountable multitude singing, "Glory to the Lamb!" And soon you will hear those sweet words of commendation, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master."
You know that this hope of eternal life, this salvation, was not earned, but given. Jesus Christ died in your place for your sin as a substitute. As a sinner, you deserved to bear the wrath of God! But Christ our Savior, the perfect Lamb of God, bore it instead, took the wrath, and rose from the dead in victory. You trust in Christ alone to save you not because you were good, but because He is good. He has done all the work on your behalf so that there is nothing you can contribute to your own salvation. He has reconciled you to God.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we will live together with Him." In Christ alone is mercy; in Christ alone is peace.
Paul wrote that for him, "to live is Christ and to die is gain." His life was lived for Christ. And his death was gain, for then he would go to be with Christ. He, too, would leave loved ones behind, would leave hopes and dreams unfinished, would leave not in the way he desired. But if home is where the heart is, then Home is with Christ our Lord. Paul submitted to the will of God, and I pray that you will too.
Soon you will be live together with Jesus, Ngen Ngen — in perfect joy. And before you know it, I'll see you there too.
Your grandson,
Keith
For others that may read this letter, I recommend the following blog articles: