Joyful Words Blog
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.
– Psalm 119:105
– Psalm 119:105
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:20-21
“In heaven there is joy beyond all telling.” That was one of the first things Fr. Larry said in his funeral homily last week. The sweet picture that popped into my head as I heard him say those words made my sad, heavy heart feel a little lighter. Last fall, I wrote a piece about a beautiful woman named Gina and her inspiring and faithfully courageous battle against cancer. Gina’s battle ended last week and her absence here on earth has left a big hole in the hearts of more people than I can count. Now, you might find it odd that I would be writing about death on website called joyful words! But here’s the thing, death and heaven are the ultimate joy and as much as we look forward to abiding with Christ for all eternity, most of us would prefer to join Him when we’re somewhere in our 90’s. We don’t want to miss weddings and graduations and grandbabies. We somehow think that dying young robs us of some of life’s greatest pleasures, when in fact the greatest pleasure imaginable can only be claimed in death. Joy beyond all telling…better than grandbabies…better than weddings…better than cheesecake and children’s giggles and anything we could imagine. Sounds so true when written…now if we can just convince our sad and grieving hearts that death is a good thing…not so easy is it! I try my best to pass along words and ideas in this blog that help us figure out how to live…really live as a Child of God. There are tons of books, articles and websites also filled with good information and advice on the same topic. Twice in my life I have been a witness to a woman being truly alive in Christ, and both times the final lesson was not about how to live but about how to die. 25 years ago my amazing mother said, “I’ve taught you all I know about how to live; now I’m going to try to show you how to die, so pay attention." As a 23 year old, I wasn’t ready for that lesson but I tried my best! I was trying hard not to worry about “my” stuff, like a wedding without her and grandbabies without her and all the other things I felt like I was being cheated out of by her death. But then I saw her courage, her faith, her trust and her surrender. Gina is the second amazing woman to teach me the lesson. When things got tougher, she just trusted bigger and prayed harder. In the case of both women, as the disease consumed them, they turned it around and reached out to others. Just a few weeks ago, my father-in-law who is Gina’s uncle turned 90 and guess who showed up at his front door with a card and a gift…Gina! As mom got sicker and sicker she wrote thank you notes to everyone who had touched her life or the life of her family. When many would have withered and withdrawn, they reached out with joy and kindness and blessings. They were teaching about humble service right up till the very end. A teenager asked me just a couple of weeks ago, “Why does God take the good people early!” I said, “I don’t know, but I think He teaches great lessons through death and if He only picked yucky people to take from this world we wouldn’t learn as much about how to live!” I think it’s a little like a major motion picture. If a director and a producer thought they had a fabulously important film with a spectacular lesson that would touch everyone in an eternally profound way, they would want to pick powerful, attention grabbing actors. They would want the stars of the show to captivate us, open our eyes to the message and leave us changed by the experience. But then what? What do we do with the message? I think the greatest way to honor someone is to imitate the characteristics that made them great in our eyes. I think it’s important to stop every now and again and think about how we’re living. I will stop more often and see if I’m imitating Gina’s trust or Mom’s courage and strength. I’ll also be sure to remember on the days that I fall WAY short; I have a loving Father who is patient and forgiving and always ready to slather me with grace when I ask. He is the “joy beyond all telling”, He’s called each of us by name and He wants to bring us home! A Seed To Plant: As you pray today, ask God to help you call to mind a quality or characteristic of someone you have loved and lost, then ask Him to show you how to put it to work in your life bringing honor to Him and the one you miss. Blessings on your day!
5 Comments
cindy schrauben
7/8/2013 01:00:25 am
Gina was one of my close friends. I will never forget her strength and faith in god. She never let her illness get in the way of helping others. Thank you for your story
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Marcy
7/8/2013 06:36:02 am
Gina was a great friend and teacher. Over the past several years I was fortunate enough to be able to follow her journey. During that journey, I can not tell you how many times her faith, humor and courage have gotten me through the day. Her faith and courage are the strongest I have witnessed. Rest in peace dear friend.
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Sherri
7/8/2013 06:54:20 am
Your message is a true example how Gina, even today, continues to live thru the lives of those she touched. Thanks Gina for showing us the way. You are truly my angel.
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Shell
7/8/2013 02:58:22 pm
Very well said Sheri. We all have so much to learn from others.
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Rachael
7/11/2013 02:22:38 am
Thank you for the words that will help me get through today. My 16 year old son lost a friend and teammate to suicide and today is the funeral. I have been struggling how to help him cope and understand, but since he didn't take a "yucky" person I think I got it! I can always count on one of your articles to help me! Thank you!
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Sheri's writing can also be found at Faith Catholic Publications and on CatholicMom.com
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