Another Post - Another Loss

May 1, 2018

Another post.

Another loss.

The past few years have truly been difficult. We have lost a lot of strong, committed Christian men and women. Before this time, I can recall various relatives and friends that went on to be with the Lord. No one that I could say I was close to. It just seems that the past few years have been one loss after another. We can all bring to remembrance names of people in our lives that have died in the past few years. The list for me is long.

My dear grandmother, Hester Holder

Pam Park

Cindy Patrick

Wilson Brant

Rebecca Hall

And just recently, Karla.

She was one of my mother’s closet friends at the church they attend. My mother and all who knew her are devastated and grieving the loss of this woman who loved the Lord. She served all those around her. She was the glue that held her family together, taking care of and homeschooling two of her grandchildren while her daughter and son in law were at work. She would call my dad and mom on their birthdays and sing them Happy Birthday. She would bring my dad balloons on Veteran’s Day to celebrate his service in the Navy. She came to my parents one day while we were visiting where she and her two grandchildren did a Christmas skit for us. She took care of a shut in at my parent’s church even dressing the elderly woman up for Chick Fil A Cow Appreciation Day. She took her and her two grandchildren to get free food that day. She was an incredible lover of her Savior and of people. She will be sorely missed.

While sitting at the memorial service for Rebecca Hall this past Saturday at the Spiritual Twist Productions building I heard someone quote a question that he had heard at her funeral. “Does everyone I know, know that I love Jesus?

This question may seem easy to answer to us. I know for me I am surrounded by others who follow Christ. I attend a strong, Bible believing church. I serve at Spiritual Twist where the gospel is unashamedly proclaimed. My friends are all strong believers. I think that most of us who follow Christ could say the same thing. I do not work outside the home so the people I surround myself with are ones who claim to follow Christ. I would like to think that all of these people know that I love Jesus.

What about those who see me but may never formally meet me?

Wat about the people that my husband works with?

What do I say to them without even saying a word?

We have a large family and we draw attention wherever we go. We also happen to be a very happy, animated family. We can break out into song without any warning. We have a song for most situations and are not afraid to sing them. We are the kind of family that people stare at.

What do we show about ourselves to the people who may wonder about us?

Do I show them that I am lover of the one true God? Can they see Jesus in me?

These are the things that I have been pondering the past few days. It can seem like such an easy question to answer. When we dig deeper it gets a lot more complicated.

The cashiers at the stores I visit. How can I make sure that they see Jesus in me? What about the people next to me pumping gas at the gas station? What about the people around me when I am waiting at the DMV? What a great opportunity to show people the love of Christ when all those people are trapped for hours waiting their turn at get their licenses renewed or take a driver’s test.

Each one of the people that I have lost in the past few years have been such a lover of Jesus but also a person that loved others and served them. They each showed the love of Christ to those around them. I could recall stories for each one that were shared at their funerals that proved this.

Will people be able to say this when I go on to be with Jesus? I want people to recall more of my smiles than my frowns. I want them to recall my singing praises to the Lord rather than my complaining. I want them to remember seeing me reading my Bible. I want them to recall the times that I showed love to them in small or big ways.

When I got the phone call about my mother’s friend I was at the Spiritual Twist building serving. I was working on costumes for my play and learning how to run sound for my children’s play. Where will Jesus find me when he calls me home? My desire is that he would find me serving him and praising him.

It was that same evening that I had the honor to help with the reception for the memorial service for Rebecca Hall. On our way home after being at the building from about 8:45 in the morning to about 9:30 at night I was struck with an overwhelming desire to serve more at Spiritual Twist. I know that sounds strange because the joke is that our family lives at the Spiritual Twist building. This overwhelming feeling almost brought me to tears. It was like there was a sense of urgency that came with the feeling. I have no idea what serving more looks like yet. I have been spending the past couple days really praying and searching as to what God would have me do. I still do not have any clear answers, but I know that I am to do something. I also know that he will reveal it in his own time.

So right now, I am waiting. Waiting but also trying to make sure that each day I show the love of Christ to ALL those that the Lord brings in my path. Those whom I may know and others that I may not know.

During the sharing time at our church on Sunday I spoke about these very things. Throughout the service I felt the leading to get up and share. I knew I had to be obedient. Every time I get up to share at church I make it a point to share a Bible verse. I want the words of the Lord to be the focus when I share. I was praying the entire service asking the Lord to give me a verse to share. I was getting nervous as the time was approaching for the sharing time and I had no verse. I was not sure if I wanted to get up and share without one. Right before the time to share, the Lord had me flip through my devotional journal to look back at the verses I had written for the month of April. He led me to a verse I had written on April 2. It fit right with what the Lord led me to share.

2 Chronicles 16:23-27

²³ Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
    Tell of his salvation from day to day.
²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples!
²⁵ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and he is to be feared above all gods.
²⁶ For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
²⁷ Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and joy are in his place.

Sing.

Tell.

Declare.

All these words are verbs and require action. I need to do my part to let others know about the great God that I love and serve. The God who loved me even in my sin. The God who gave his Son to take on the punishment that I deserved.

Anything that this world has to offer is meaningless.

Worthless.

I need to spend my time pursing things of the Lord. What he loves, I want to love. Who he loves, I want to love. That means everyone. From the leadership team of the play I am directing to the mean, grumpy person behind me in line at the store. Everyone.

It does not say, “For God so loved the people who are nice...” It says, “For God so loved the world…” Everyone.

My utmost desire is to bring glory to God and show ALL those around me, those whom I know and those whom are strangers, that I am a lover of God and of people.

Dwell on the question this week.

Does everyone I know, know that I love Jesus?