At the end of October, I lost my Mother-in-Law after nine
months of fighting health issues stemming from a stroke. One week later the mother of my sister-in-law
also passed away. Sadly this meant some of the family lost two
grandmothers and great grandmothers in one week. Both women had a great love for the Lord and
I have no doubt that they are restored whole in Heaven today singing God's
praises.
My Mother-in-Law, Joan, was a very sweet, gentle and
loving woman. Her love for the Lord was best
seen in her actions. She loved to do for others
and I can't recall her not having a smile on her face. She seemed to always be "doing"
whether it was cleaning, crafting or baking (which she excelled at). When
coming to Texas to visit, she always took it upon herself to do a super
cleaning of sinks and the stove. I think
if I had let her she would have taken on the whole house. Mom B was a far better woman than myself when
it came to a non-complaining spirit and no job was above her. Her family does indeed rise up and call her
blessed.
I didn't know Mattie quite as well, but knew her enough
to know that she also loved the Lord.
Every time I saw her she was smiling.
She loved to interact with people and kept herself busy doing that. She struck me as a joyful woman every time I
was with her. Mattie was described at
her funeral as an encourager, faithful, content and rich in the things that
matter. I may not get the quote exactly,
but her daughter said she would frequently say, "You must give people
roses while they are still alive."
It is hard to understand why God chose now to take these
two dear women Home, but I know from His Word that the timing was perfect. I will miss both of them as will the other
family members who have been left behind.
On the way home from the funeral last week I was contemplating how
ironic it is that I have outlived the human expectation of survival from my
cancer, and these two dear ladies were called Home. I was thinking how my dear mother-in-law
loved to make porcelain dolls. All the
granddaughters as well as many other little girls were the recipients of her
hard work. She painstakingly made these
dolls. Though I was never privileged to
watch her make them, I know they took a long time and involved many steps
including putting all the pieces together, painting and baking. Often she also made clothes for them. When something wasn't perfect, she didn't
settle for less, but fixed it. I think
she would have liked those dolls to be an illustration of her life. God did not take her Home until she was
finished with what He had planned for her and it was perfect. For all those years he was busy painting and
putting together her life. When her day
came to go to Glory, He was finished working on her and declared her ready. His work on her and Mattie while on this
earth was done as was their work for Him.
Obviously He is not done working on those of us left
behind. These two deaths make me
contemplate once again what I am supposed to be doing to grow into a beautiful
part of the Bride of Christ and what I am supposed to be completing on this
earth. Joan and Mattie gave in simple
ways on this earth, but in ways that reflected their Savior. Sometimes I am so busy looking for the
complex things to do that I miss the simple.
My daily prayer is that I would see and act on the needs around me,
speak always with grace and live a self-sacrificing life. Oh, that God would say "well done"
when He has completed His work on me and calls me Home.
"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21
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