Well the past couple of weeks have been quite busy. So many sad and negative things seemed to have happened in the world lately. Our lives are so often filled with sadness, trouble and toil. The devil never ceases to work on our hearts and our spirits. It is when our hearts are defeated that he wins our souls. We cannot let this happen! We must side with the One who has overcome the world.
I came home from Maywood Christian Camp a week ago today -- to hear about a shooting at a church in South Carolina. An evil man killed nine people. As most of us were, I was shocked ... and deeply grieved. Escaped prisoners in New York had still not been captured. And later in the week, our Supreme Court made a very sad decision. We are truly facing tough times.
By far the saddest part of the week came when we lost our aunt. I say "our" because technically she was my husband's aunt (his mother's sister). Yet she was my aunt too. That is one of the best things about marrying into Robert's family. From the minute I married him, my sons and I became part of his entire extended family.
Yes, I know this is the way it is supposed to be. I also know it just isn't always that way. Families are not always as close as they should be. Fortunately, I come from a strong and closely knit family too -- a double blessing for my children! Merle Dean embodied this sense of family. When Robert and I marred, I immediately became her niece.
I will always remember the way she smiled and the sound of her laughter. I will remember the way the she called my children "honey" or "sweetie" when they were younger. I will always remember how hard she and my mother-in-law worked in the kitchen at Maywood Christian Camp. For 7 years they did this. The work they carried out would put some much younger women to shame.
Merle Dean was a hard-working honest woman who loved her family. More importantly, she loved the Lord. She told you what she thought - no holds barred; but she had a lot of love in her heart. I am thankful to have known her. I'm thankful for the memories my sons have of her. And I'm thankful for the example she set for others.
Losing someone you love isn't easy. Life is sometimes like a roller coaster ride. It is totally full of ups and downs. Storms come our way .. rains, floods and strong winds of sadness and loss. Sometimes it's enough to knock you flat on your back and make you want to stay down. How can the world go on when things seem so bad?
My dad once heard a very faithful Christian man who had suffered many trials of his own say, "God never promised us smooth sailing, but He did promise us a safe landing." Someone famous may have said that at one point, I really don't know. It could be an original comment from my Dad's friend. I don't know the origin of the quote. I only know the impact it had on Dad when his friend said it.
It's true, you know. If we follow the Lord's call and keep His words .. we will be able to weather any storm, no matter how strong it might be. By the way, "keep His words" means to obey them. It doesn't mean to put them away in a drawer somewhere .. or read them and say, "Oh, what nice thoughts, Jesus." It means learn from them... follow them ... obey them.
As His followers, Jesus Christ is our rock. His words should be our firm foundation. Remember the promise He made at the end of the Sermon on the Mount? Oh, it's such beautiful promise!
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does
them will be like a wise man who built his house on the
rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the
winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall,
because it had been founded on the rock."
(Matthew 7:24-25 ESV)
We will miss our Aunt Merle Dean. She certainly weathered her share of life's storms. But she was a wise woman and her house was founded on The Rock.
We would do well to do likewise.
Christ above all things,
Robin
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