And he waited...

 And he waited...

I was reading a quick devotional this morning  before getting into your Bible reading ...on waiting... that hard word to hear and harder yet, at times, to do....

The author wrote “While you wait, I want you to embrace the blessing of My presence. Just be with me.” (Cherie Hill)

Waiting in God’s presence, embracing that moment in time...or those hours or days, weeks, years....waiting ....

So as I opened up the Scriptures for today, King Hezekiah was the main character...ruling in Judah...battles all around, being ridiculed by conquering rulers from afar...

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. 

His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 

He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan. ) Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. 

There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 

He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. 

And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. 

He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory. 

The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: “‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have the counsel and the might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 

But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem”? 

“Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death! 

“Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’

2 Kings 18:1-8,19-22,31-32 

Hezekiah waited, he sought counsel from the Prophet Isaiah...through all the tormenting words of ruler who would besiege his country...

Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.’” 

Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. 

Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 

And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “ Lord , the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. 

You have made heaven and earth. 

Give ear,  Lord, and hear; open your eyes,  Lord , and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 

Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.” 

“This will be the sign for you, Hezekiah: “This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 

Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. 

For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. 

“The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. “

That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

2 Kings 19:6-7,14-19,29-31,35-36

The Lord delivered ....Hezekiah waited, took his requests and laid them before Him in the House of the Lord...and victory was given...

It is an awesome recap of the time...

Taking counsel, waiting to see how the Lord will work...hard tasks for me to do...I want to move ahead, getting things done, out of the way, so I can move on to another project...

I have a hard time “embracing “ those waiting times...but, when I do, the reward is great...

God moves...doing more than I could ask or imagine...His way...

Thank YOU....

Such a sad commentary....

 Such a sad commentary....

Chapter 17 of 2 Kings is small summary of Israel and Judah...

All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 

They worshiped other gods and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 

The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that were not right. 

From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 

At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. 

They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. 

They worshiped idols, though the Lord had said, “You shall not do this.” The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.” 

But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 

They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. 

They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. 

They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.” 

They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. 

They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger. 

So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. 

Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. 

They followed the practices Israel had introduced. 

Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence. 

When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the Lord and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there. 

Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. 

The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim. They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. To this day they persist in their former practices. 

They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. 

When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. You must always be careful to keep the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 

They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

2 Kings 17:7-23,29-41 

 This was penned earlier .....

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

Judges 21:25

When I read of today’s events, we really haven’t changed over the thousands of years...

Now as believers, we have the Holy Spirit who teaches us truth...we have the whole Bible as our guide for instruction, admonishment...

We have the life of Jesus to follow...we can even walk in the streets where He walked, read His Words...but sin still abounds ...I do things I wish I didn’t as Paul says in Romans ...

But, we have a hope that is untarnished...through Jesus...

We know that ...Paul prayed...

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6 

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:9-11

Jesus prayed... 

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 

26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

John 17:20-26 

I don’t want the commentary of my life to read, “ and they did was was evil in the sight of the Lord“ as it says over and over in scriptures...

But to read, “ and they did what was right in the sight of the Lord “....

Thank YOU....

Ready for some love...

 

Ready for some love...

I have been reading through the Kings  and Chronicles of wars and takeovers, deceptions, judgments and found I needed some love and kindness thrown into my life a bit...oh, God was in those wars, judgments as well, but man had and has turned our backs toward Him so much over history and time...He has delivered those who called on Him time and time again...soooo here is some of that love...

Love is patient, ......

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 37:7

Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.

Proverbs 14:29 

Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.

Proverbs 16:32

love is kind. ......

May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this.

2 Samuel 2:6 

A kindhearted woman gains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth. Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves. 

A wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. 

The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath. 

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:16-18,23,25

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 

It does not envy, ......

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Proverbs 14:30 

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

James 3:16 

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

1 Peter 2:1

it does not boast, .....

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

1 Corinthians 5:6

He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Psalm 10:3-4 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:8-10 

 

it is not proud. 

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

1 Corinthians 5:6

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

Proverbs 16:18-20

It does not dishonor others, 

Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!

Psalm 40:14

it is not self-seeking, 

But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

Romans 2:8

it is not easily angered, 

 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret —it leads only to evil.

Psalm 37:8 

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Psalm 86:15

it keeps no record of wrongs. 

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:11-12

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Isaiah 43:25 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Psalm 25:5

A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.

Proverbs 14:25

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

John 17:17 

It always protects, 

The Lord protects and preserves them— they are counted among the blessed in the land— he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.

Psalm 41:2

for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Proverbs 2:8

always trusts, 

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Psalm 19:7

But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

Psalm 31:14 

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.

Psalm 145:13

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense ; he has become my salvation. ”

Isaiah 12:2 

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense ; he has become my salvation. ”

Isaiah 12:2

always hopes, 

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Psalm 31:24 

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

Psalm 33:22

the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Psalm 147:11

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12 

always perseveres. 

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12 

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13

Thank YOU.....

Up from the grave He arose....

 Up from the grave He arose....

This song has been in my head all week...

1. Low in the grave He lay,

2. Jesus, my Savior,

3. Waiting the coming day,

4. Jesus, my Lord!

• Refrain:

• Up from the grave He arose,

• With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,

• He arose a Victor from the dark domain,

• And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.

• He arose! He arose!

• Hallelujah! Christ arose!

5. Vainly they watch His bed,

6. Jesus, my Savior;

7. Vainly they seal the dead,

8. Jesus, my Lord!

9. Death cannot keep his Prey,

10. Jesus, my Savior;

11. He tore the bars away,

12. Jesus, my Lord!

Robert Lowry, 1874

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 

So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 

Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 

He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 

Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. 

The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. 

He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 

Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. 

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” 

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. 

Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. 

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 

After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 

And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus ), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. 

Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:1-31 

Thank YOU....

Another year...another “anniversary “....

 Another year , another “anniversary....”

April is open us again...9 years ago our family was entering into the final stages of my husband’s life...we all knew it...time with him was becoming shorter and shorter...we were having our last 

Easter, our last few days...time was becoming more and more precious...

I am sure there was some denial, some  questioning in all of our hearts...why?...how could this be happening to us?...what can we do to make this time special?....what do we talk about?....where do we go from here?...what do we do?....tears at night and some in the days as well..

We only had a few more days and we took advantage of the times in remembering, story telling...just being together...it was hard and so meaningful all at once...

At night I would read the psalms out loud and hold his hand and cry...I wasn’t ready for this new chapter of life by any means...I still cry when I think of those last days...did I do it right? Was there something I could have done better? How do you prepare ????? Could we have changed our lifestyle in some way so that cancer wasn’t the winner?????

One person, a hospice friend,  gave us some “guidelines” that I kept over the years that were so helpful just from an expectations point of view...they gave us a potential route that we faced in those final days...

Reading the Scriptures was and is comforting....reading through Old Testament again...”and he slept with his fathers” again and again...death has hit every family on earth...is it inevitable....but those who have Received and Believed Jesus , there is the resurrection...that life eternal with Him....thank YOU....

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12

He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved —you and your household.”

Acts 16:30-31

“God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus

He came to love, heal and forgive

He lived and died, to buy my pardon

An empty grave, is there to prove, my Savior lives

Because He lives,

I can face tomorrow

Because He lives,

all fear is gone

Because I know,

He holds the future

And life is worth,

the living just, because He lives

How sweet to hold, a newborn baby

And feel the pride, and joy He brings

But greater still, the calm assurance

This child can face, uncertain days, because He lives

And then one day, I’ll cross the river

I’ll fight life’s final, war with pain

And then as death, gives way to victory

I’ll see the lights, of glory and, I’ll know He lives”

By Bill and Gloria Gaither

Caring for a loved one through the final stage of life is never easy. Whether you carry all the responsibility or just want to be there for them, you probably wonder what to expect.

Getting familiar with end-of-life symptoms in older adults can help you understand what your loved one may be experiencing, and promote a smooth transition for everyone.

End-of-life symptoms timeline

Everyone is different, so you shouldn’t expect to see all these end-of-life signs. Also, your loved one will progress at their own pace, which could be significantly fast or slow.

Weeks before end of life

Some of the earliest signs have to do with a sense of resignation. That may involve low mood, lack of motivation, and withdrawal. The person may spend more time reminiscing about their childhood and earlier life experiences.

Loss of appetite, general weakness, and increasing fatigue become noticeable.

Days before end of life

Your loved one will likely sleep more than they’re awake. They’ll move and talk less and may not respond to conversation or commotion. Their sense of hearing is most likely unchanged, but vision may be impaired.

Other signs in the final days may include:

• drop in blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature

• labored breathing

• difficulty swallowing

• refusing food

• no more bowel movements or urination

• hallucinations, illusions, or delusions

Some people experience a certain amount of restlessness or have a burst of energy.

Hours before end of life

Signs that the body is actively shutting down are:

• abnormal breathing and longer space between breaths (Cheyne-Stokes breathing)

• noisy breathing

• glassy eyes

• cold extremities

• purple, gray, pale, or blotchy skin on knees, feet, and hands

• weak pulse

• changes in consciousness, sudden outbursts, unresponsiveness

It’s thought that hearing is the last sense to fade. Even when unconscious, your loved one can probably still hear you.

At death

At the moment of death, breathing stops and there’s no pulse or measurable blood pressure. If the eyes remain open, pupils will be dilated.

As the muscles of the body relax, the bowels and bladder empty. As blood settles, the skin starts to look pale and waxy.

After death, you may still see tears falling from the eyes or small movements of the arms, legs, or voice box.

End-of-life symptoms

1. Appetite and digestive changes

As one nears the end of life, metabolism and digestion gradually slow down. Fewer calories are needed, so loss of appetite and decreased thirst are normal.

Trouble swallowing, nausea, and constipation can also interfere with appetite. There might be weight loss and signs of dehydration.

2. Sleeping more

Generalized weakness and fatigue are common. Energy levels wane and time spent sleeping increases.

3. Withdrawal from the world

You might notice a sense of resignation and withdrawal from the larger world. The person may create a protective bubble of fewer people and less curiosity about events outside the bubble. They might spend more time talking about the past than the present.

4. Anxiety and depression

As the end of life becomes apparent, some people experience a growing fear or worry for themselves or for those who will be left behind. End-of-life anxiety and depression aren’t uncommon.

5. Urinary and bladder incontinence

As the kidneys begin to fail, urine can become more concentrated and darker in color. Both bladder and bowel functions get harder to control.

6. Changing vital signs

Heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure begin dropping. With reduced circulation, the hands, arms, feet, and legs start to feel cool to the touch. The skin may turn dark blue, purple, or appear mottled.

7. Confusion

Your loved one may be periodically confused. Time, place, and even close loved ones may be difficult to identify. You might note a limited attention span or repetitive motions like pulling at sheets or tugging at clothing.

8. Sensory changes

Eyesight is weakening. Someone nearing death may see, hear, or feel things that you don’t, even speaking to others who have died. Sensory changes can also lead to illusions, hallucinations, and delusions.

9. Saying goodbye

If alert to what’s happening, some people want to participate in funeral planning, putting affairs in order, or distributing possessions. They may feel a sense of urgency in clearing up loose ends, expressing feelings, and saying goodbye.

10. Breathing changes

Breathing grows increasingly slow and shallow with periods of shortness of breath. Fluid can collect in the throat as throat muscles relax. The person may be too weak to clear it by coughing, which can lead to noisy breathing known as a “death rattle.”

11. Loss of consciousness

Waking your loved one can become difficult. Eventually, they’ll be uncommunicative and unresponsive, losing consciousness or falling into delirium. Eyes may develop a glassy appearance.

How to support your loved ones during end of life

Your doctor will advise you on how to provide physical comfort based on their medical conditions. This may include administering medications for such things as pain, digestive issues, or anxiety.

Providing physical comfort

Whether or not you have professional caregivers or hospice care, there are some basic ways you can provide physical comfort:

• Use a humidifier to aid breathing.

• Apply lip balm and alcohol-free lotion to soothe dry skin.

• Help them stay hydrated with ice chips or applying a wet washcloth to the lips.

• Change positioning every few hours to prevent bedsores.

• Provide comfy bedding and refresh as necessary.

• Prepare soft foods, but don’t force a person to eat.

• Use low lighting and block out loud or distracting sounds.

• Let them sleep when they want to.

Proving emotional comfort

To help provide emotional and spiritual support:

• Encourage conversation if they’re up for it. Let them lead, be a good listener, and avoid initiating potentially stressful topics.

• Even if they don’t respond, assume they hear you. Speak directly to them rather than about them. Identify yourself when you enter or leave the room.

• Provide light physical contact by holding their hand or placing a hand on their shoulder.

• Play their favorite music at low volume.

• Don’t ignore, interrupt, or dismiss their thought process. Remain calm if they’re confused. If they’re talking to or seeing someone who isn’t there, let them be.

• Express your love.

• Don’t deny reality. If they want to say goodbye, let them. It can provide you both with peace of mind.

Think about your loved one’s spiritual needs. 

Takeaway 

Letting go is not easy. Learning about elderly end-of-life symptoms can help you provide the physical and emotional support your loved one needs as they transition.

Once your loved one has passed, allow yourself time to grieve, take care of yourself, and reach out for help if you need it.

https://www.healthline.com/health/elderly-end-of-life-symptoms

From great to divided...repeats through history...

 From great to divided....repeats through history...

When you read through history, there is so many repeats...do we really learn from the past...in our proudness and pride, we seem to feel our generation, our nation can do it better...so we build, become great, follow God, then follow after other gods, divide, generation after generation after generation...cycle after cycle...

You can see that in Judges, through Kings and Chronicles, through the ages right down to the present...we really haven’t changed...countries, civilizations have come and gone....blossoming for a time, being a light, falling into despair, stumbling downward until fallen...

Reading through the Bible sometimes feels like reading a modern newspaper...

A case in point...and I am not trying to politicize, or take sides, just observations...

I was reading the news and an article about taxes caught my eye...how plans were being put into place for tax increases...could be either party on any given year...how or who the burden was falling onto...and the same day I was reading a portion in scripture which mirrored the article, thousands of years ago...

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 

So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” 

Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away. 

Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. 

“How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked. 

They replied, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.” 

But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 

He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?” 

The young men who had grown up with him replied, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. 

My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’” Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, “Come back to me in three days.” 

The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. 

My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.

1 Kings 12:1-15 

Reading further in the same chapter, the people formed golden calves to worship....sound familiar????

The same thing their forefathers formed and worshipped in Mose’s time...

Repeats, repeats down through time...

My take away...my days are numbered as are everyone’s...follow the path that God has planned...Seeking His will, humbly coming before him no matter the times  I live in, in times of plenty and times of want...God is here, He has never left.... He alone is the creator of the Universe, the comforter, the Redeemer...our only hope ....

Thank YOU that You are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow...Your love never fails...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 

Choose to believe rather than doubt...

 Choose to believe rather than doubt...

One sentence in a devotion for today reads, “whatever you are going through, whatever is consuming you with anxiety, make a choice to believe instead of doubt”-by Cherie Hill, in He Whispers Your Name...

I was reading of David’s return to Jerusalem after fleeing from his son, Absalom who had tried, unsuccessfully, to take over the kingship.

He was met with a variety of people as well as a variety of responses...unbelief, doubt, fear, celebration...he knew God’s call on his life...

And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

2 Samuel 5:12

Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 

Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him. ” 

But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 

I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 

I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. 

Arise,  Lord! Deliver me, my God! 

Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 

From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.

Psalm 3:1-8 written by David  when he fled from his son, Absalom...

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

There are times, when we doubt, don’t believe....times of frustration, times of anger, times of suffering, times of “downcast”....

Why, my soul, are you downcast? 

Why so disturbed within me? 

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon —from Mount Mizar. 

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 

By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm 42:5-8 

I have to comeback to that underlying, sustaining fact...that God is there...put doubt aside, walk by faith, believe, calm my soul, take a deep breath....listen for His voice...

Thank YOU....