I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live even though he dies.  John 11:25

            Disease had ravaged Beverly's body.  Pain and infection were her daily companion.  Bedridden, her active life had been stolen from her.  Dialysis kept her alive.  Awful wounds refused to heal and relentlessly expanded, giving notice she would not get better.  So she made her decision.  No more dialysis.

            She told her family.  They struggled, but accepted her wishes.  She shared with me her desires for her memorial service.  Be sure and tell people so they know about heaven and how to get there, she instructed.  We talked about family members who would be waiting for her when she arrived home in heaven.  There was never a hint of apprehension or fear.  She prepared as if she was taking a trip to a long anticipated vacation destination.  For her, heaven was a real as here.

            One week after her last dialysis treatment she had departed.  Quietly.  Peacefully.  You see, Bev had laid hold of something we all need to embrace.  For followers of Jesus, it is safe to die.

            This is the message that Easter shouts from the empty tomb of Jesus.  The Savior has overcome death and eliminated its power over his followers.  He returned alive and well from the grave and assures all who believe in him the same resurrection promise.  Then he went to his Father's home.  We will too.

            Does the growing specter of death trouble you as age relentlessly encroaches upon your life?  Do the tentacles of fear try to grip you heart each time you rub shoulders with death as it comes to someone you know?  Are you stalked by death and its dread?  Because of Easter you don't have to be. 

Read the accounts of the resurrection of Jesus recorded near the end of each of the Gospels-Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  Soak in the historical reality of it all.  Then read the resurrection treatise of Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.  As you do, you will come to know the Easter hope that Bev so confidently embraced.

            It is safe to die.