Ecclesiastes says, "there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet we cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end!"
And how do you fathom...
...one day dancing. The next in a wheelchair without use of her right side. Slurred speech. Forgetfulness. Helplessness. How do you fathom those sudden changes? She coped the best she could and her husband was there to help her. They'd been together for over 50 years! They relied on each other and though it was hard, they had each other and many life experiences to laugh and cry about.
Suddenly he's gone. Too fast to adjust. Too quickly to absorb. She's still in shock. The funeral was on December 9th.
This is Christmas, yet there will be sorrow in her home this Saturday. How do you deal with this?
HOW do you "be the gift" to someone in pain and sorrow? Call them. Reach out and touch them with words. But it is hard when her speech is so hard to understand! I thought of NOT calling her. That would be so easy. But if I call...what do I say? How will I deal with her impairment?
And them I thought of what I would want someone to do for me!
I thought of the chapter in Romans talking about love being sincere. "Share with God's people who are in need...Bless those who persecute you...rejoice with those who mourn; mourn wiht those who rejoice" God's directions.
Weep with those who weep. Hug and love them. Listen...and let God take care of the rest!
So that's what I did. We even laughed a little and i was so thankful I'd called! I often think of the verse in Matthew that I made my girls memorize: "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
Whenever I am in doubt of what to do, I think of what I would like someone to do for me! What would Jesus do if he were here?
- jane hixson
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