Who Will Take Care of You?

Well, the day has arrived and all heaven is rejoicing at the arrival of another saint who has successfully completed their earthly journey. My sister peacefully passed away this past Wednesday morning about 9 a.m. with her closest friend, close by, as it should be. Although it was hard to watch her decline in health over the past seven months, and very much pronounced the past six weeks, her Lord, in whom she placed her total faith in, used our older brother, Art, and her closest of friend’s, Earl, to fulfill her wishes and answer her prayers to depart this life gently, quietly and faithfully. With her quality of life gone, Carri’s charges were finding each day a little more difficult to handle, but they remained faithful to their commitment of maintaining her dignity, of which I cannot praise them enough for. Early Wednesday morning, Earl found Carri to be having a little stress in her breathing and saw to it that she receive some medication that might help. But within minutes she took that last breath, so quietly it was missed even by those in the room. I praise my Lord for allowing Earl to be in her presence, because I think Earl wanted it that way, even though he knew it would be very painful. God is good all the time, and to the faithful and obedient, he blesses and gives the strength needed to pick up the pieces and move on. There was a great thought posted on Facebook the other day: “I believe the hardest part of healing after you’ve lost someone you love, is to recover the “you” that went away with them.” Till we meet again Carri – keep my love, as I yours.

[Romans 12] I’m getting old enough that my youthful confidence of “I can take care of myself” is beginning to wane somewhat, and a small voice is questioning, “Who’s going to take care of you?” That question, of course, is a test of my faith because I trust in my Lord to handle all my affairs and guide me along my way in what’s left of this life. As a part of God’s family I want to do my best to help another sojourner along their way. Here’s an article from Bulletin Digest: “When you think of your home congregation, what are some words you would use to describe it? Active, warm, loving, sincere, giving, evangelistic; or cold, dead, apathetic, stuck in a rut, cliquish. Part of how your home congregation can be described is directly related to your role in that same congregation. If you are consistently warm and friendly, the congregation is warm and friendly because you help make up the church. If you keep to yourself or just go through the motions, the congregation does, too, because you help make up the church! You definitely have an effect on the Lord’s church. How the church is seen in your community depends on what you do or don’t do every time you meet with the saints. God can use your efforts to grow His kingdom! One easy way to make sure you’re doing your part to make the church warm and loving is to be a greeter. Smile and speak to all who come. Have you ever visited a congregation and left shaking your head because no one spoke to you? That should never be said of the Lord’s church! “Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16). “And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:47). “Greet” appears 59 times in the New Testament. It means “to welcome” and also means “to respect, to be happy about, and to embrace.” What an impact we could make if we greeted everyone who comes into the assemblies in that way, visitors and members alike! The way we behave toward people indicates what we really believe about God.”