Thelma

Thelma died this morning. You know Thelma, Irene's roommate. I went to pick her up for the Bible study, and they told me Thelma had passed early this morning and that Irene had moved upstairs. So I went upstairs and found her. And we talked. About life and eternity. We say life is short, and we know that it is, but somehow when we're going through it, it doesn't seem short.

I told her about an illustration I heard once in which someone explained that we see life in a linear way--like one long line reaching all the back to Adam and progressing to now. But God sees life as a horizontal plane stretching to the horizon in each direction. He looks down on the history of mankind, and He sees us all populating the universe at the same "time."

It does give us an empty and helpless feeling when someone we care about is just gone. I prayed with Irene; we talked some more; and then she said, "I'm looking forward to being in heaven, it's just the getting there..." Ah, yes, I know what you mean, Irene. I know what you mean.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;...