Suffering and Sadness turns to Happiness

We all know someone who has gone through real tough time, suffering or long term sickness and the general question we ask ourselves is WHY?
Why does God allow this?
Well, I don't know.
I do know that God doesn't bring suffering and sickness to anyone as this is not the God I know.
I also know that through suffering and sickness, many positives can be created. This could be influences on people (possibly those close to the sick person). It could also be when that persons life ends.
Why does it have to be through suffering though? No one knows!

Anyway, I attended a funeral today. It was of a lady I knew for around 6 years. this lady is the mother of a friend of mine. She was a beautiful woman! Looking at the photos of her at the funeral just confirms this.
8 years ago and before, this lady was up and running. She was supporting a house, kids and husband. She used to run a successful business and well known. Generally, things were good.
Unbeknown to her, she had an inner (lets call it a disease/sickness for now as I am not sure of the correct term) of the brain. This caused her to slow down in life and eventually to her death a week ago.
I saw this woman go from being free, successful and beautiful to being trapped within herself. She was a literally a perfect brain inside of a body that couldn't do anything. She had to be helped with everything. She couldn't move, sleep, eat, drive...nothing!
She was trapped in herself.
This beautiful was completely at the mercy of her amazing husband to help her do everything.
I couldn't imagine being stuck where I couldn't do anything for myself.

With her being in this situation, it obviously caused a lot of hurt within the family. It led them to ask many questions, asking God WHY?
I think deep down, the family were praying for her to pass away and finally be at peace and rest.
She did.
At the funeral today (in a different language so I couldn't be apart of the singing), I just closed my eyes and this picture came to mind.
I saw her walking along a path, sandy and thin through a wide open field of grass. (She hasn't walked for years). In front of her was our Lord Jesus standing there, calling her. Arms wide open he stood. In the grass on each side of her were her family standing. Some crying and some watching.
What an image! I can just imagine what was going through her mind then. Seeing her Father in front of her calling her to come and spend eternal life with Him in His place. A place which has a huge mansion waiting for her. She was smiling, She was Happy and loving it!
Sadness on the outskirts of her path, but a path that she was walking on leading to eternal happiness, love and peace.
Her period of suffering has come to an end and her eternal infinite life ahead.

Didn't our Father say to us that He will waiting for us with open arms?
I know that its often not a consolation to family members on earth to say that their recently passed parent is happy now, but I know that if the family know Jesus, they know what He promised us in His Word.
This earth is our temporary residence. Its a staging area before our next life.
Our choice of where we go in the next life is up to us. Make the right one!

I write this in memory of a special lady, mother, wife and a person who influenced and touched me (and she didn't even know that she did).

Rest in Peace Merlyn Van Der Merwe....

Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

John 14:1-3 – Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. in My Father’s house are many mansions