the last Sabbath of December. Here it is the third Sabbath
of January 2009 and you are
just getting the newsletter for October - December 2008.
There is a reason for the
delayed distribution and that is what I am going to write
about in this issue.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at 10:45 PM I received a call
from my sister in
California telling me that our mother had just passed away.
I remember asking over and
over again how she knew that our mother had passed away. It
was hard for me to
accept that my mother’s heart had stopped and that she was
no longer breathing. My
sister explained everything thoroughly to me, and I realized
that my mother was gone.
We were anticipating this day. Now the day had come and I
started just existing. While
the flight tickets to California were bought and the final
touches for the Christmas
Candlelight Service were made, I was in a daze. People
started hearing the news, and
all of you were so wonderful in giving your condolences. I
sang “O Holy Night” at the
end of the Christmas program, and I was still in a daze.
Since December 17, I have
been floating around trying to fulfill my responsibilities
yet feeling like I am not really
here.
When we lose someone through death there is no coming back.
It is done. I will not
see my mother alive again in this world. I will not hear her
natural voice again with
these ears of mine. I will not feel her again. It is over.
My mind is waiting to see her,
hear her, and feel her, but that will never be on this
earth. I am experiencing deep
sadness and I cry, but with God’s help life goes on.
The Lord gives us a balance in this life. Our lives are made
up of happiness and
sadness. When my mother died a baby was born. When we are
sad others are
experiencing joy. When we are marrying others are divorcing.
When we are sick others
are in perfect health. When we are praising God for our blessings
others are pleading
with God for answers and comfort. The Lord gives us just
enough happiness to make it
bearable to live here on this earth and enough sadness to
have us desire heaven. The
hymn, “In a Little While We’re Going Home,” speaks of the grand
event that we are
waiting for with all our hearts.
I have always longed for heaven but never as now. I want to
see my mother whole
again in complete perfection. I want my entire family
reunited with my mother on that
day. I want my New Haven Church family to meet my mother in
heaven. I want you all
to meet that great woman who first taught me to love Jesus.
I want you to meet that
wonderful lady who started me singing, the woman who taught
me how to keep an
immaculate house. I want to introduce you to the perfect
pastor’s wife. I want to
introduce you to the woman who I have tried to emulate all
my life.
There are others of you in this church who are also longing
for Jesus’ return to see your
loved ones again. I want to meet your father, your mother,
your spouse, your child, your
siblings. I want to meet that family member of yours whom
you love and miss so much.
I do not know how much longer we will be in this world, but
in the meantime let us be
ready for heaven. Let us give our lives to the Lord
everyday. Let us give Him our
temptations, our trials, our fears, our envy, our hatred,
our lack of faith, our lack of
humility, our lack of forgiveness, our lack of love. Let us
give Him our everything. Let
us give Him complete control of our lives so that it will be
Him living in us and not
ourselves. I want the entire New Haven Church to be ready
for heaven and not to be in
a state of getting ready. Make your choice today to let
Jesus control your life. Not even
the next minute is promised to us. Whenever we go to our
rest that is our second
coming because when we open our eyes we will see Jesus. Will
we live with Him
forever or will we go to our rest never having made Him Lord
of our lives? Do not wait;
accept Him now.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in
Christ will rise first. Then we
who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the
Lord. Therefore comfort one
another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18
Now you know why this newsletter is being distributed late.
My world came to a halt on
December the 17th 2008. I am picking up from where I left
off trying to get things back
on track. Now I just look forward to the day when I will see
my mother again.
Now you know why this newsletter is being distributed late. My world came to a halt on
December the 17th 2008. I am picking up from where I left off trying to get things back
on track. Now I just look forward to the day when I will see my mother again.
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