Going Home at Peace

Going Home at Peace

By Keith Bellamy

I recently saw a man go home from prison after serving twenty-one years in the Texas prison system. His wonderful family was waiting for him. His church family was waiting for him. He returned home at peace. He knows there is only peace in Christ Jesus.

Many years ago, my dad went home to be with the Lord. Over the last nineteen years I have learned to adjust to Dad's passing. When my brother called me to let me know Dad's blood pressure had fallen and there was no systolic pressure, I flew home. When I took Dad's hand, I told him it was time to go home. He squeezed my hand. I had said that same thing earlier that year when the doctor told my mother we needed to come to see him; but Dad wasn't ready then.

My dad was literally worn out. He had been sick for years, and for almost two years, he had become totally incapacitated. He could not help himself at all. Many times, when he was in that bed I would watch him, but he never seemed to complain. Like a lot of men, Dad was not a good patient when he was able to get around. But being in that bed, I saw strength and a faith I had not seen in my dad before.

That night, September 3, 1999, about five minutes or so before Dad died, my brother commented to our mother that Dad was smiling. Physically, he had nothing to smile about. My mother told my brother that Dad was seeing Jesus.

Now as much as I miss my Dad, I am glad he went home at peace.

Going home at peace is what we all want. For so many this is not an easy journey. So many must suffer in various ways. And then there are some who lose their lives in a very tragic way.

My question to you is, "If you were to die today, would you go home at peace?"

Remember the words in Hebrews 9:27. “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment...” (NLT)