The world lost
a good person Friday night – a truly good-hearted person. I lost a dear friend and sweet sister in
Christ. But heaven gained a beautiful soul
…. And Melba gained her eternal rest.
So very many people have expressed condolences to the family ….. in
person and on face book …. through phone calls …. Through tears …. and prayers
and hugs. Melba was a school teacher for
many years and was well known in the community through her kindness and good
works. Former students remember her love
and encouragement for them all.
Former Bible
class students remember her teaching them with love as well. One of the first things my brother, Todd,
said when he heard of Melba’s passing was “I remember her teaching me in Bible
class.” She was an impressive
teacher. I had the blessing of watching
her teach and also of teaching with her for several years at Maywood Christian
Camp.
I loved to
hear her talk about God’s word. She
taught with such enthusiasm. I loved
watching her tell the children, “Now, listen – this really happened. It REALLY happened.” It was so important to her that the children
she was teaching understood that the Bible wasn’t a story book. She wanted them to know it was true. She stressed that. And they listened to her. They learned from her.
As part of her
church family – well the church is the body of Christ -- so when we lose a
church family member – we lose part of us.
Hillcrest has lost part of itself.
Melba was such a fine Christian lady.
She loved God …. And she loved her church.
It is because
she loved God so well that she will be missed by so very many people. She loved God and so she showed the love of
God in everything she did. Christ lived
in her heart. So she was His arms and
legs while she lived. She used her arms
for hugging … her heart for loving … her smile for giving joy to others … her
intelligence for teaching ….. Well you
get the point. Christ lived in her and
Hillcrest will miss her dearly.
One of Melba’s
favorite Bible characters was Esther.
She loved Esther’s strength and resolve.
She loved to encourage young ladies to be brave like Esther – to always
stand up for what is right. I once heard
her say that you could see God’s hand all through the book of Esther. If you’re not familiar with that story, I
would urge you to read it. You’ll see
for yourself that Melba was right.
She stayed so
busy for the Lord. Always working –
always looking for ways to help – always volunteering for this or that whenever
a project came up. She was always doing something for somebody. “Just tell me what
you need,” she would say. How many people
do you know like that?
I don’t know
if it was her very favorite verse, but I heard her quote Galatians 6:9 on
several occasions. “And let
us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do
not lose heart.” (NKJV) I think Melba pretty much lived
this verse.
Thinking
of her tonight, I also thought of I Corinthians 15:58 “ Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (NKJV)
Melba
was strong and steadfast in her faith.
She wasn’t about to let anything in her life shake her faith in the
Savior. She clung to the Lord. And like I already said, she was always busy
for Him.
Today
when I was with the family, I told her daughter that I could just imagine her
hugging Jesus as He welcomed her to heaven and then looking up into His eyes
with a cheerful smile and saying, “OK Jesus, what do You want me to do now?” That’s Melba – that’s the kind of servant
heart she had.
But
Jesus has promised that our labor is not in vain. And Melba did not give up in her service to
Him. We know that “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” (Psalm 116:15 NKJV). And we also know Jesus has promised us rest …
(Hebrews
4:9 NKJV) “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.”
And
so I can only imagine the smile on Jesus’ face when He tells her she can rest
now, for her works have followed her. (see
Revelation 14:13)
I
do not mourn for Melba – I mourn for those of us who must go on without her,
especially her sweet family whom I love dearly. I will be praying with them and for them in the coming days and weeks.
But for Melba .... instead of mourning, I
celebrate her life and I praise God for giving her one. I praise the Lord for HIS GOODNESS and His
mercy and His grace. I praise the Savior
for His loving sacrifice. I thank God
because I got to share part of this earthly life with my friend. And I praise Him because He prepared heaven
for His children “before the foundation of the world.”
What
would Melba tell us now? Again, I can only
imagine for I really don’t know. But I
think it might be something like … Follow the Lord. Study the Bible because it really is
true. Learn what He wants you to
do. Love Him, obey Him, and never give
up serving Him. For your labor in the
Lord is not in vain.
Rest
my sweet friend, we will miss you.
Christ
above all things,
Robin
