ChosenRebel's Blog

Death Visited Us Yesterday, But Life Won

Life came to the Schoenleber family via the death of my sister yesterday. We are grieving joyous tears. Just two weeks ago, three of Mary’s five brothers and her younger sister were able to visit her in her home in Pennsylvania. That’s Heather, the youngest, on the left, my brother Karl to the right of her, Mary next, underneath my right shoulder. It’s hard to believe she is gone.  

We know she is not in pain.
We know she is with Jesus.
We know she is having a reunion with mom and dad.

But the loss of her from our family is unimaginably painful.

I’ll put it as objectively as I can.

My sister, three years my junior, was/is extraordinary. She was the center pivot of her family, like she had been the center pivot of her five brothers and our younger sister. A rock. A lover of Jesus and a servant of all. If you knew Mary, you loved her. Period. Accomplished, yet humble, she was always the servant, always working to make everyone else’s life better, more comfortable, more enjoyable, more loving.

Mary was good.

But good people don’t go to heaven. Forgiven people do. To be sure, forgiven people should be good. They should be like Mary was, but Mary knew that her hope of heaven was not built on the foundation of her goodness, but on the absolute goodness, mercy and grace of the One who laid down His sinless life as an atoning sacrifice for sin. Mary knew she needed a Savior. At a family wedding this past summer, I told her how much we loved her and admired her and she was quick to remind me, “I’m no saint.” Knowing that, she clung to the Savior. She knew that He, not her, His goodness, not hers was her hope of eternal life. 

We were seven, now we are six, but that is not right. We are still seven, Mary has just had a change of address. The gospel is true. We will see her again. Tears now, glory is coming. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Please keep her four adult children and husband in your prayers.