gooddocmike
Follower and Believer of Christ
Reality can sometimes be the Lord’s greatest wake-up call for our lives. It can show us our greatest flaws, and can also show us where our trust and faith lie.
A few years ago I watched my grandmother die from the effects of Alzheimer’s. My family watched for years as the disease slowly took her mind, then finally took her body. By the world’s standards, my grandmother was a simple woman. She was raised on a farm during the Depression, and only went to school through the fifth grade. She was a housewife of the fifties, raising a family to the best of her ability so they would have chances she never did. One thing did separate my grandmother from all those around her, she had a love of Christ stronger than anyone I have ever seen.
During the struggles of the Alzheimer’s, I watched her cling firmly to that love. She would often sit for hours and sing nothing more than the chorus of “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder”. Although the disease had robbed her of most of the words of the song, she still took great joy in singing the words she still knew. In the only way she still knew how, she was showing all around her why that love she had for Christ was still just as strong. Dealing with struggles most of us never even wish to imagine, she was still willing to be a witness to anyone who would listen. And what an incredible witness she was! She showed all around her that even if this life takes everything from us, the One thing that matters will always be there.
After her death, I read through the Bible she had used for many years of her life. It was no easy task! On every page she had underlined much of the verses, and the margins were completely filled with her notes from each verse. In reading those margins, I found myself amazed. This simple woman with hardly any education, had a greater understanding of the Scriptures and Christian doctrines than all of my classes and training could have ever taught me. Words that she probably never knew how to pronounce, she had a complete understanding of. How? Because that strong love I mentioned earlier was greater than any obstacle that had come her way. She knew because her desire to know Christ, and her willingness to serve Christ, were greater than any hurdle that had been placed on her path.
A little over four years ago, I faced a similar trauma in my life. I was diagnosed with stage four cancer and given about six months to live. As I said, that was over four years ago and I am still here(shows how much they all knew)! And although there are days that the cancer greatly limits my body, I have grown to cherish each and every day. I have learned the lesson my grandmother did while singing that chorus. Life is an incredible gift. And whether that gift last another twenty days or another twenty years, it is no less precious. The amount of minutes we see pass does not matter, it is only what we do with those minutes that the Lord counts!
It is when we are willing to give these minutes over to Christ that they take on special meaning. I have often preached and wrote, that one gift that we all possess the Lord values above all others. What gift is this? Willingness! Of all the remarkable and incredible gifts the Lord graces each of us with, none matter if we are not first willing. It is only when we are willing to raise our hand and say, “Yes Lord, you can count on me”, that Christ can use all the many gifts we have to reach a much needing world. When we find ourselves willing, the Lord will place us in situations we could have never imagined, and use us to reach people in ways we would have never foreseen.
So you may ask, “What does willingness have to do with my cancer or my grandmother”? I guess the answer to that is found in my reality. The reality of my life is that one day cancer will get the best of me. When family and friends reflect back on my life, what will the remember in me? Will they see the Lord reflected in me the way all those around her did in my grandmother?
When that day comes, I hope those who remember me will cherish in my life the same qualities that the Lord saw in my life. I hope they see in me a small fraction of the love for the Lord that all saw in my grandmother. I also hope they see in me a man who was willing. Willing to answer the Lord’s call at all times.
C. H. Spurgeon once wrote, "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.” I hope my life will be remembered the same as those words. We see in these words the importance of this life, and how we should cherish every opportunity the Lord gives us. We also see the importance of willingness. We should be the first each day to raise our hand, and trust that no matter what obstacles we may find in our way, the Lord can still find ways to use us to reach so many around us.
I pray that each day of this precious gift I have left, the Lord will always be able to count me as willing. I also pray each day that I will have that same ‘love affair’ with Christ that all saw in my grandmother. And I would like to ask each of you to pray for me. Please pray that the Lord will bless me to be able to carve my name on a lot more hearts, before it is one day found carved on that marble.
Hoping each of you are the first to raise your hand today, showing the Lord you are willing!
A few years ago I watched my grandmother die from the effects of Alzheimer’s. My family watched for years as the disease slowly took her mind, then finally took her body. By the world’s standards, my grandmother was a simple woman. She was raised on a farm during the Depression, and only went to school through the fifth grade. She was a housewife of the fifties, raising a family to the best of her ability so they would have chances she never did. One thing did separate my grandmother from all those around her, she had a love of Christ stronger than anyone I have ever seen.
During the struggles of the Alzheimer’s, I watched her cling firmly to that love. She would often sit for hours and sing nothing more than the chorus of “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder”. Although the disease had robbed her of most of the words of the song, she still took great joy in singing the words she still knew. In the only way she still knew how, she was showing all around her why that love she had for Christ was still just as strong. Dealing with struggles most of us never even wish to imagine, she was still willing to be a witness to anyone who would listen. And what an incredible witness she was! She showed all around her that even if this life takes everything from us, the One thing that matters will always be there.
After her death, I read through the Bible she had used for many years of her life. It was no easy task! On every page she had underlined much of the verses, and the margins were completely filled with her notes from each verse. In reading those margins, I found myself amazed. This simple woman with hardly any education, had a greater understanding of the Scriptures and Christian doctrines than all of my classes and training could have ever taught me. Words that she probably never knew how to pronounce, she had a complete understanding of. How? Because that strong love I mentioned earlier was greater than any obstacle that had come her way. She knew because her desire to know Christ, and her willingness to serve Christ, were greater than any hurdle that had been placed on her path.
A little over four years ago, I faced a similar trauma in my life. I was diagnosed with stage four cancer and given about six months to live. As I said, that was over four years ago and I am still here(shows how much they all knew)! And although there are days that the cancer greatly limits my body, I have grown to cherish each and every day. I have learned the lesson my grandmother did while singing that chorus. Life is an incredible gift. And whether that gift last another twenty days or another twenty years, it is no less precious. The amount of minutes we see pass does not matter, it is only what we do with those minutes that the Lord counts!
It is when we are willing to give these minutes over to Christ that they take on special meaning. I have often preached and wrote, that one gift that we all possess the Lord values above all others. What gift is this? Willingness! Of all the remarkable and incredible gifts the Lord graces each of us with, none matter if we are not first willing. It is only when we are willing to raise our hand and say, “Yes Lord, you can count on me”, that Christ can use all the many gifts we have to reach a much needing world. When we find ourselves willing, the Lord will place us in situations we could have never imagined, and use us to reach people in ways we would have never foreseen.
So you may ask, “What does willingness have to do with my cancer or my grandmother”? I guess the answer to that is found in my reality. The reality of my life is that one day cancer will get the best of me. When family and friends reflect back on my life, what will the remember in me? Will they see the Lord reflected in me the way all those around her did in my grandmother?
When that day comes, I hope those who remember me will cherish in my life the same qualities that the Lord saw in my life. I hope they see in me a small fraction of the love for the Lord that all saw in my grandmother. I also hope they see in me a man who was willing. Willing to answer the Lord’s call at all times.
C. H. Spurgeon once wrote, "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.” I hope my life will be remembered the same as those words. We see in these words the importance of this life, and how we should cherish every opportunity the Lord gives us. We also see the importance of willingness. We should be the first each day to raise our hand, and trust that no matter what obstacles we may find in our way, the Lord can still find ways to use us to reach so many around us.
I pray that each day of this precious gift I have left, the Lord will always be able to count me as willing. I also pray each day that I will have that same ‘love affair’ with Christ that all saw in my grandmother. And I would like to ask each of you to pray for me. Please pray that the Lord will bless me to be able to carve my name on a lot more hearts, before it is one day found carved on that marble.
Hoping each of you are the first to raise your hand today, showing the Lord you are willing!
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ing I cannot think of a more Godly man than Mike. Oh how you are missed and we are waiting to meet up with you again.....
