Proverbs 14:26-27
Reverence for God gives a man deep strength; his children have a place of refuge and security.
Reverence for the Lord is a fountain of life; its waters keep a man from death.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
We all worried this last
week about how our three little ones - Timothy, Zola and Nathan - would
handle my mother’s death. Ever since my grandmother died in March 2013,
Timothy has assumed that anyone who was sick or old would die. It
happened to Mam-ma Polly…my mother’s dog, Spot…my sister’s dog,
Wrinkles…and our cat, Lucy. So anytime someone is sick – or we mention
that “I’m just old,” - Timothy asks, “Are you going to die?”
Given
that reference, we really didn’t know what to expect with the
children. They knew that Granny had been sick for a few months…but they
had no clue what cancer was or how seriously ill she had become. My
niece brought the children to visit Mother at home when she went on
Hospice care, and they were apprehensive at first about approaching her
hospital bed. But one-by-one, they “warmed up” and came around to talk
to her. I think Zola even had someone lift her up to kiss my mother.
But
what happened when Mother passed was a beautiful thing. The children
were sad when their mother told them. But they did not fall apart.
When we viewed Mother’s body, each child readily accepted that Granny
was dead. They didn’t spend a lot of time with her, but they each
patted her hand – and again, Zola gave her a kiss. They were not afraid
at all.
In the days that followed, the children played in my mother's
back yard – and at the cemetery - with the abandon of happy children.
At the visitation and celebration service for her life, they sat quietly
and respectfully. Once while we were greeting those in attendance,
Timothy stood with me and held my hand. Several around us were standing
arm-in-arm, and all of a sudden, I felt this little arm wrap around my
legs, just under my backside. Timothy was putting HIS arm around me,
also. I cannot count the times that little 6-year-old boy came to
comfort me as I greeted people in the visitation line.
As
Mother’s service drew to a close, Zola got down from the lap of a cousin
and moved to the front pew, where she crawled into the lap of my
mother’s husband, Lee. She snuggled against him, and then she turned,
held his face in hers, and gave him a kiss. I saw his entire demeanor
completely soften and relax in that sweet moment. It was just what he
needed.
My mother would have loved all of this. She would have
readily agreed that we have created a place of refuge and security for
these children in our demonstrations of respect and reverence for God.
We have begun to lay a firm foundation for each of them about who God is
and how He loves each of us. They know about heaven…and maybe even
better than we grownups, they understand that it is a glorious place
where we hope to all end up someday. There is nothing to fear…about
death, heaven, or God. The children already understand how amazing He
is…and we are teaching them to honor Him with admiration and esteem in
all things.
Our three little ones are reminders that life goes
on…that as much as we miss my mother and others who have received their
heavenly reward, we know they wouldn’t come back for all the tea in
China…and we wouldn’t want them to! The “death” that this scripture
refers to is not our earthly passing into Eternity with Jesus…but rather
that of ending up in the darkest pit of hell as far away from Him as
possible. Our prayer is that this would never happen to anyone!
My
mother left a legacy of faith, strength and reverence for God that will
hopefully transfer to future generations…a promise of Eternity in the
presence of God Almighty forever and ever. Our job is to live in such a
way we perpetuate this legacy and give our children a secure refuge
that offers them the hope of Heaven, as well.
My question to you
this day is…how are you doing? What – and WHO – do others see when they
look at you? Are you living in a way that demonstrates the joy and
hope of Heaven? Are you showing others that a life in Christ represents a
place of refuge and security? Isn’t it time you were?
©2016 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment