“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful. And He said unto me, it is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be His God and He shall be my son.” Revelations 21:4-7
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“Momma?” Beth tapped on the door lightly. Not anticipating an answer, she timidly stepped into the private room. Her mother was now a resident at Parkside Nursing home.
As Elisabeth entered the stuffy room, Sylvia didn’t rustle from her place by the window. She continued to stare at the dry patches of grass on the lawn below.
Beth quietly sat down on the edge of her mother’s bed, simply watching. She studied the precious face of her mother; the infamous pillar of strength for the Stone family.
Her milky, spotted skin clung loosely to her frail bones resembling an ill-fitting suit.
In her youth, Sylvia was as beautiful as she was lively.
Elisabeth’s eyes drifted to the framed picture sitting on the nightstand. Cased behind the glass was a photo of her glamorous mother during the prime of her life. That gap toothed smile of Sylvia’s was so full of life that Beth could almost hear the ancient echo of her mother’s throaty laugh.
She blinked the tears back as she watched her mother sitting motionless, staring out the window.
Today Sylvia was a paper thin shadow of her former self. She looked more like a wilted gardenia; one that had been sitting a little too long in the scorching sun. Even her head hung heavy like her favorite flower.
Elisabeth turned her head and faced the wall. Sometimes old memories were the only thing that got her through the harsh reality of today. Everything was perfect when father was still alive…
“Don’t bother arguing with your mother. You know she always gets her way.” Mr. Stone smiled adoringly at his wife, knowing his words were the truth.
He had no issue with his wife’s strong opinions; he admired her for them. And, if he didn’t agree, there was no evidence of it. The pair always held a united front, backing each other up in every area of their lives.
When Beth’s father contracted a rare liver disease, Sylvia doted on his every need. Never complaining; she simply took care of her king. Sylvia managed his health like a drill sergeant; one fueled by love.
A wave of guilt washed over Elisabeth’s thoughts. She wished she could take care of her mother like that.
Beth tried, for as long as she could. But, Sylvia’s dementia became a round the clock ordeal to manage. And, Beth’s job and college loans needed her attention, too.
“I love you, Momma.” Beth lightly touched the back of her mother’s shoulder, smiling gently on the outside while her stomach tightened from the inside.
Sylvia turned, the ropey cords of her neck straining. The world seemed to move in slow motion.
Would her mom recognize her today? Or would she have to go through the painful ordeal of reminding Sylvia of who she was…again?
“Oh, hello there.” Sylvia smiled sweetly, a faint look of confusion on her face. Her polite habits were so ingrained; even her dementia couldn’t shake them. At least, not yet.
“Momma, it’s your daughter, Bethy…I’ve come to talk about your favorite flower today.” Beth fought back the tears while she opened her purse.
“Well isn’t that kind of you.” Sylvia’s eyes widened like a child’s as she watched Elisabeth search through her bag.
“Remember how you used to clip them from our garden for Poppa?” Beth pulled out a small vial of perfume, opening it and waving the tiny wand under her mother’s nose.
It took a moment…then, the familiar heady scent seemed to activate something inside of Sylvia.
“I love gardenias.” She sighed while closing her eyes, deeply breathing in the pleasant scent.
Beth fought through the edgy dichotomy of her swirling emotions. Part of her was thrilled that Sylvia remembered a portion from her past. Yet, it was painful knowing that it was only a silly flower—not her only child.
On the way home, Elisabeth felt an ache in her heart that was real as a knife plunging through her chest. Parking her car, hot tears spilled onto her scarf like a teakettle boiling over.
“Why, God? Why?”
It was the same question that kept coming up over and over again. Beth couldn’t wrap her head around why this was happening to her precious mother and why she had to witness it.
Hearing the jovial sounds of children laughing, Beth looked up. The park across the street was busy with grade schoolers playing during recess. Life was moving forward for everyone else; it seemed to be leaving Beth and Sylvia behind.
In Revelations 12:4-7 we are comforted by the prophetic words of John of Patmos. He was looking into the future, seeing the benefits that awaited the children of God.
Just as Elisabeth looked to the past to comfort her through the pain of today, John was offering an even better solution.
The future for those who believe in Christ is bright and encouraging! No matter how bad things are on earth are today, once we pass onto the other side of eternity, we will no longer have to deal with the pain of living in this fallen world.
Many people have a hard time picturing the spiritual realm. This is only because sadly, their spiritual eyes haven’t been opened.
When a person asks Jesus into their heart, He takes residence within them. This unfolds a whole new realm of thinking and seeing for those who have Christ. No longer are the cares of this world able to weigh that individual down. This is because the spiritual life takes a whole new precedence; giving this earthly temporal existence a whole new hope and depth of meaning.
Are you ready to see life from a more spiritual perspective? Then, open your heart to Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life.
You’ve tried life without Him. I challenge you to take a chance and see what life with Him can be like. What have you got to loose? You’re hopelessness?
“Dear Heavenly Father,
There has to be more to life than just what I see before me. If the former is true, there’s no hope. Lord, life without hope and an expectation for better is joyless and meaningless.
So many people that I have known have said they turned to you. They talk about joy and peace that comes from knowing Jesus personally.
In the past, I have laughed at these people, calling them weak and gullible. In fact, this is why I haven’t come to you sooner. I didn’t want to be seen as a fool.
Today, I no longer care about what man thinks or says about me. I am searching for the Truth.
I am humbling myself before you. Please take this prideful self-righteous attitude out of my heart. I admit today that I don’t know it all. I certainly don’t have a clue about the spiritual realm.
If Jesus is really the only way, I want Him in my heart and in my life.
Lord, I confess that I have done many things that are sinful in your eyes. I repent of them. You said in your word that Jesus died for my sins. I’m accepting that free gift of salvation right now. Baptize me with your Holy Spirit and anoint me with the power I need to live the life you envisioned for me.
I need you, Lord. Give me as much of you as you can. I promise to search the scriptures to learn more about you and how to walk in power. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Revelations 21:4-7
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan
