IN SEARCH OF THE WHOLE-HEARTED LIFE
O Death, Where Is Your Victory?
On June 6, 2012 ,
Anna Ruth (Senders) Riley’s days on earth came to an end. Receiving word of Momma’s death was
bitter-sweet news. Having always been
strong and vivacious, it was heart-breaking to watch the Alzheimer’s progress
as the days passed. As empty as life
feels without her, it is a relief to know that the debilitation has come to an
end.
Amazingly, in all her confusion and memory loss, Momma never
forgot the faces of her six children. She’d
forget that we’d come to visit five minutes after we left, but she always knew who we were when we came. We were the apples of her eye, even to the
very end.
Life was difficult for Momma. Her childhood was unstable and married life
brought no reprieve. After seventeen
years of painful loyalty, she packed-up her six children hoping to leave the
insecurity behind. While raising us
alone was over-whelming, Momma worked hard to provide the security that we all
needed. It was obvious to all who knew
her that Momma’s life revolved around her “babies”.
At the visitation, family and friends came to offer their
condolences to the six of us while Momma lifelessly rested at the end of the
room disconnected from all that was going on around her. My husband, Gary
The next day, at Momma’s funeral, her love for Jesus was
proclaimed. We were all reminded that
her strength and security was found in Him.
The vitality which she demonstrated was credited to her Savior. The Source of her strength was pronounced and
the Hope of her resurrection was declared.
While Momma’s earthly body remained lifeless, the Life that dwelled
within her was very present. I can’t
imagine anyone leaving that service without feeling connected to Momma and hearing
that, “Jesus is Lord!”
Indeed, Momma had a gift of bringing laughter, fun and
creativity into most any setting she encountered. She always looked for joy in life and, even
through all the hardships, she demonstrated an undeniable strength. Consequently, leaving Momma behind has always
been difficult for me. Stepping away
from her one last time was no different.
While she’d not really been “present” for a number of years, the
graveside brought a deep penetrating awareness that the security which she provided
and her excitement for life were fast asleep.
It seemed that if I lingered by her side a bit longer, I wouldn’t have
to face that reality.
After the funeral luncheon, Momma’s six children gathered together
to read over her will and sort through her last few belongings. Regardless of how much or how little is left
behind, few families escape the anxiety produced from anticipating such
moments. Will everyone agree? Will there be animosity? Will unresolved issues come to a head? Will the whole scene become a disgrace to
Momma? One never knows what reactions
such strong emotions might trigger. While
Momma had minimal material resources, she would have been pleased to know how very
much we inherited from her. Not only
were there no disagreements, love and respect was demonstrated, relationships
reconciled, generosity offered and fairness sought. We reminisced, we laughed, we cried and we
encouraged one another in our pain. The
security which was handed down to us and the excitement for life that we’d
inherited was alive in that room among Momma’s children. What joy these treasures brought in the midst
of our pain.
But… were do we turn from here? We must stand firm in the Hope which Momma
demonstrated so well. We must cling to
the promise that death has no power over those whom Jesus claims. We must hold fast to the miracle that just as
God brings life to a dead kernel of grain that has been sown in the ground, the
lifeless body must first be buried in the grave before it can spring forth
again in victory.
Momma’s body, deprived of all
life was sown in weakness,
yet we must never forget that
the day will soon come
when her grave will open
and
the bands of death will be loosed
and
she will be raised in power into new life!
For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the
trumpet call of God, and (Momma) will rise (to) be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:16,
17
O death, where
is your victory? O death, where is
your sting?”
thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1
Corinthians 15:55, 57
Whole-Heartedly,
Bonnie
P.S. Please
feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder
or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/. You may also contact me at:
Bonnie Jaeckle
In Search
of the Whole-Hearted Life
Diagonal
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