But we do not
want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so
that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with
Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth
into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people And
will have compassion on His afflicted.
Isaiah 49:13
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted.
Matthew 5:4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our
affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction
with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has
revived me.
Psalm 119:50
O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS
YOUR STING?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of
sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4
And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying,
"Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them,
and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any
death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first
things have passed away."
Revelation 21:3-4
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him,
because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about
you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I
will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
Isaiah 41:10
This page is dedicated to the memory of Fred Benson, but the message is for
his wife, Linda, whom I've had the pleasure of knowing and loving for 10 years
now. Linda works at the same building I work at, where I am blessed to
have shared so much with her and all my other special friends, Judy Hamilton,
Terri Lofton, and Carol Morgan, to name a few. Linda and I have been
through a lot in those years--shared a lot, laughed a lot, shared the love of
God, cared for each other, cried with each other, worked through problems
together. The closest I've ever come to the sort of grief you are going
through, Linda, was losing my only grandbaby, my precious Nicole. She only
lived for a week, and I never even got to hold her in my arms, but the memory of
her, and the memory of the pain me, my daughter, Shelly, and the rest of
Nicole's family went through is still very vivid in my mind today. The
Lord gave me and Shelly a physical hug (this is true) the night before Nicole
died, and I remember feeling His love and His peace pervade me (Shelly
remembers, too) like nothing else could do! And as a result, we were able
to make it through the death and the funeral and the burial. There is
nothing on earth that can even compare with the peace that He gives His
children. And I am assured, as you can be with Fred, that one day we will
be with our loved ones again, and never again know pain, heartache, tears,
sadness, or any other negative feelings... for eternity! I know there's
nothing I can say that will take away your pain, dear friend, but know that I
love you with my whole heart and with the Love of Almighty God, that I am here
for you when you need a friend, and that we will be friends forever and ever.
I love you for eternity, Linda!
Peggy
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