Proverbs 30:15-16
"There
are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!': the
grave, the barren womb, land which is never satisfied with water, and fire,
which never says, 'Enough!'"
(NIV)
The news came unexpectedly; "Mrs. Mamie's dead. Can
you come?" I hurriedly drove the two miles wondering what could have happened.
Mrs. Mamie and her husband were elderly members of the
church I was pastoring. They had no children, just nieces and nephews in the
area. Mr. Henry was in his nineties and deaf but attended church every Sunday.
Mrs. Mamie was feebler.
I visited them monthly, and she was always ecstatic
when I came. It disturbed her that the landscaping around the parsonage was in
disrepair, so she donated money to have it landscaped. Our kids were small and
she knew they, like most kids, enjoyed junk food. So every visit ended with her
giving me some to take home.
Neither the ambulance nor coroner had arrived. There
she sat, slumped over in her favorite recliner with a peaceful smile on her
face. She had lived well and died ready.
One aspect of my profession is comforting those who
are grieving. And the proverb rings true. The grave is never satisfied. It
consumes thousands every day taking them from earth to eternity.
It's easier to understand an elderly person dying than
it is a child who dies because his mother is driving drunk or a young girl who
is run over because a man didn't see a stop sign. But the end result is the
same-they are all captured by the grave.
While entering the grave takes us into another
dimension, the unknown becomes less frightening when we trust the One who has
been there and returned. And who said he was going to prepare a home for us then
return to get us and take us to live with him eternally. Faith drives away fear.
Perhaps that's why Mrs. Mamie had a smile on her face.
Her body was still in the recliner but she was at another home.
Prayer: When the fear of death overcomes us, remind us
Lord that You have been victorious over it and that by faith in You we can be
also.
Martin Wiles
mandmwiles@homesc.com
Harleyville, South Carolina, USA
www.morningliteministry.com
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