Saying Goodbye
A good woman recently died. I met Martha in church when we moved to Bend in 1987. I saw her as an older woman then, even though she hadn’t yet seen 60. (How foolish young eyes can be...)
She and her newly retired physician husband traveled the world, he usually as a cruise ship doctor. Martha had over 200 scuba dives, explored the Amazon, trekked several times in Turkey in search of Noah’s Ark, relished long hikes, skied hard on both snow and water and laughed even harder, and was a quiet, positive force in her circle. Martha used her gift of creating art, especially watercolors, in detailing many of their adventures, and those paintings adorn the walls of their home.
While Jim was doctoring in what was then a small mountain town, Martha raised four boys and a girl in the same house they still own in the lower west hills. Kentucky born and bred, she loved everything outdoors, especially animals. She was known for feeding the neighborhood deer, who still bed down in their yard, and would let her pet them as they ate.
Martha lived her faith-life like she did with all the other parts of her life: Quietly all-in. As the couple aged (both in their ‘90s), and with COVID, attending church grew more of a challenge and we lost touch, until this summer when Jim endured a stroke. Through their daughter we rekindled our friendship, which has been so good. As Jim‘s health progressed, Martha’s faded. She died this fall in her own bed with family by her side, fully confident that her wish to “just go home with Jesus” was soon to be her reality.
After Paul’s soaring teaching in 1 Corinthians 15 on what lies after death for believers, the certainty of death being a changing room for eternity where the corruptible takes on the incorruptible, he ends the section with thankfulness and a challenge.
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [over death] through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
As good as this life can be, and as rich our relationships, and as full of adventure and challenge each chapter presents, God promises so much more to come. But don’t make the mistake of waiting until then to really live. Eternity is now, and then, the bulk of the rest.
So, banking on the promises of a resurrection, and because of the victory over sin and death in Jesus, his followers (that’s you!) can be
Steadfast: Knowing what is worth pursuing and doggedly staying on the trail of things that matter.
Immovable: Not allowing the adverse winds of life to drive us off course, but to tack against them to make progress in faith and life.
Always abounding in the work of the Lord: Finding joy when using your gifts to best build the kingdom in your corner of the vineyard.
Knowing your toil is not in vain in the Lord: Even when we don’t see progress or completion, God will use it all.
I’m writing this before the memorial service we will have for Martha. I plan to share some of these thoughts with the family and friends who come. We will tell stories of a life well lived and comfort one another with the truths we believe in. And we will say “Goodbye, for now.”
Our hope is not in this world even with all of its wonders, but believing all this is but an appetizer for what is to come. That knowledge frees us up to live like today is the gift it truly is. Unwrap it and dive in, not wasting a single one!
Music time!
When you have just 16 bars to impress...
From Berlin...Puttin on the Ritz
Hope the Bride's mother knew about this...
...and a couple of lame jokes
Nick lives in a subdivision that branches off the main highway.
He drives a Corvette, and thinks the only two speeds are “STOP” and “FULL SPEED.”
One day, when he was late for work, he comes tearing out the road from his house, tops the little hill before getting to the main road, and sees a police car blocking the road.
He slams on the brakes and comes to a screeching halt about 6 inches from the police car. The policeman, who had often seen him driving fast, walked up and said, “Mister, I've been waiting for you all morning...”.
Nick replied “Well gosh, I got here as fast as I could!”
__________
At a naval barracks the enlisted men were being given their shots prior to going overseas.
One lad, having received his whole series of injections, asked for a glass of water.
“What's the matter?” asked the hospital corpsman. “Do you feel light-headed?”
“No, just checking to see if I'm still watertight.”