Living in the Last Hour

Part 3: when mercy comes running…

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As I walked down the corridor to her new room I could picture her sitting up in her bed, active and smiling, giving praise to the nurses for their excellent care. She can be that way. Nov. 3 post

Today, my friend has her life back, complete and at peace. Last night she went to be with her Lord. It was expected just not so soon. Mercy came early. She was tired. She knew she could not live on in agony, strapped down like some loony because she kept pulling of her tubes… unintentionally I believed. I sat with her a few times the last few weeks. I prayed with her and for her. I brought in a dear friend to pray for her. I was powerless to help my friend, so I begged the Lord to help her. Mercy came running.

I am happy for her. It’s the day she longed for, the day she would get to meet her Creator.

2 Cor. “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

Today my friend can sing and dance praises to her God. She can rejoice with those that have gone before her. She will get to see her son again. She is free from that earthly body that kept her in bondage to machines. Rejoice with me.

Pray for those left behind.

This flesh is not happy having to learn about her death on Facebook. How selfish am I? I can recall the day she phoned me in the wee hours of the morning to tell me her son had been killed. That moment is seared into my brain. There is no perfect, or pleasant way to deliver the news of the death of a loved one, but to learn it on a social media site, makes it so impersonal. I am not a person that keeps up with what’s going on on Facebook, and to learn about my friend’s death in that way makes me feel pretty…I can’t even think it.

I know that God had answered my prayer. I know that He used me to comfort her in that dark place where she spent her last days. In life, the Lord had extended my friend so much grace, more than anyone will ever imagine and now He extended mercy beyond words.

That last day I saw her I was remembering my mom. She too had been living with dialysis and in the end she made the decision to get off the machine. She lived two weeks after. The doctor had told me that morning that there was nothing they could for my friend. She would stay on dialysis until her body could no longer tolerate it, then hospice. I guess when the doctor spoke to her husband later that day she must have mentioned something about that possibility, because that evening in talking with him, my friend’s husband had adamantly said he would never take her off the dialysis machine.

Somehow, I knew that she preferred death to living in a shell of a once lively temple. It’s what she wanted, but it was not something she would ever ask of her husband. He was prepared to deal with her illness, to allow her body to keep going until it could no more. The only way I knew to help my friend was to cry out to God to help her. God showed her mercy.

She is at rest now. And those of us left behind must deal with her absence. In so many ways I am so thankful for her life and for her friendship…through it I learned that no matter what we suffer through God’s grace will always be greater. Still, death and life are never satisfied. Both keep us longing for more. I am thankful that my friend suffers no more and she is finally where she always wanted to be, with her heavenly Father.

 

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Rest in peace my dear friend. Guadalupe Lacy 1946-2016

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Hello,

I’m Irma

Welcome to my little corner of the blog world. Here, I share my thoughts on Christianity, the things of God, and the ways He has shaped and guided my path through life. My journey with the Lord has been long and transformative, marked by moments of peace and joy and periods of uncertainty. I write, first and foremost, for myself—to process what the Lord so graciously reveals to me in Scripture. Sharing some of these truths has become a mission of sorts, via blogging. His word urges us to bear witness and encourage one another.

As I reflect on my own transformation, I can say that the church itself has transformed over the years and not necessarily for the good. I speak about my own experiences with the church. One lesson the Lord impressed upon me this year is that “truth is not always truth.” What do I mean by that? There have been times when I’ve shared a biblical insight, only to realize that other faithful believers interpret the same passage differently. In that instance, I find that the Lord reveals according to our understanding. When I share the need for a Damascus experience understandings diverged sharply. Believers that have been raised in the church do not feel that such an extreme experience is necessary for spiritual maturity. Our faith is truly shaped by our backgrounds. Spiritual journeys are not for everyone. This taught me that early socialization deeply colors our grasp of faith; what’s true for me may not resonate in the same way for someone else.

Similarly, lately I considered how “ignorance of Scripture was its own blessing,” I remembered my early walk with Christ. I had a blind faith. I knew little of doctrine or debate. I trusted the pastor. In those days, my faith and trust in the church and church leaders was simple—I accepted what was taught from the pulpit without questioning. I did not have the knowledge needed to question any teaching. There was a peace in not knowing all the controversies or complexities. As I grew and studied the scriptures, and did some additional research, as the Lord gave understanding, I found myself questioning everything I had been taught. I did not question my faith, or the existence of God. That ignorance, while limiting, protected me from confusion and doubt, allowing me to rest in childlike faith.

The church itself has seen many changes over the decades. Self-proclaimed prophets have introduced new doctrines, some bordering on heresy, while believers wrestle with their flesh and what it means to follow Christ in a society with so many freedoms. I remember a time, more than thirty years ago, when I trusted every word spoken in church. Now, I understand how easy it is to accept teachings that stray from biblical truth. The Scriptures warned us this would happen in the last days.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 (NKJV) “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”

Current events—like the 2024 Election—have exposed deep flaws in American Christianity. Yet, through it all, Scripture assures me that God is sovereign. No wall built by human hands can withstand His judgment; no scheme crafted in darkness escapes His light. These lessons have become more real to me as I look back over my journals, filled with stories of God’s faithfulness during trials, tribulations and abundant grace. By sharing I hope those the Lord leads here will desire to seek God wholeheartedly, to find comfort knowing that He is always at work in our lives—often in ways we never considered.

Check out my books on Amazon for the Kindle App or in print.

Check out my latest title: Where are my Sheep? Available in Print & Kindle

The Diary of A Christian Woman

A Father Takes All: Four Generations of Growing up in Single Mother Homes – Grace Abounds

I Will Not Be Afraid: Living in the last Hour – Reflections of a Christian Woman

The Journey Endured: The Path to Meet God

Praise the God of the heavens!