Sunday am Church.....1985....Id been living in Nashville since 81 when Dad called and said Start praying...your Mothers got cancer and its not good....Life suddenly changed...I was touring a lot back then trying to make all the contacts I could to stay busy in music...At the first break I made my way home to Heber Springs, Ar.....The cancer was everywhere in Mothers body....started in her lungs but was rapidly spreading...I can still see her face in my mind when I walked in to the bedroom...All I could muster through my tear filled eyes was a broken Mother...its going to be OK.....and thats when it happened...From a depth of reality only Mother was experiencing she said Walter...its OK....The conversation following that was filled with how great her life on earth had been...having three great sons and Dad and how blessed she was...and how God was with her and she didnt fear death and on and on and I was fighting back the tears....Mother taught us all how to pray in the face of sudden need...in the face of a need thats not going to get any better...Life can change real quick....Mother woke up one morning feeling fine but her Doctors appointment revealed another story.....When life suddenly changes the best thing weve got going for us is a long-standing relationship with God.....Deep wells provide good water...Mother didnt have to muster up grace when she heard the bad news...she drew from the well of grace that had already been dug in her relationship with God....If I could offer you one piece of advice about praying when life changes suddenly I would say Dont wait for something to happen....If you havent already done so.....begin today to dig the well that leads to Gods living water...so that when your crisis happens...you can draw from resources that are already present....and if your crisis hasnt happened get on your knees right now and thank God.........In her final days she was in Little Rock at the hospital....She was confused and we didnt talk a lot...There is a deep mystery of the risen Lord that does not require words....eye contact spoke volumes...God does not give or withhold His Ministry based on whether or not we speak...Its important to learn that God comes in grace filled silence....speaking words that only the soul can hear....Something happens when life changes suddenly...Life looks different...Values change...conversations change...perspectives shift...We use our time differently...People become much more precious to us than possessions...Ordinary moments become significant....Most importantly in Mothers case...prayer took us to the place where we were healed of the need to be healed....She got to that place where she no longer needed to get well....She let go of my hand because she was in Gods hands...she understood her life was about to end on earth....but it wasnt the end of her life....Prayer allows us a path to grace that enables us to loosen our hold on time so that we can put our hands on eternity.....We dont have to cling desperately to life on earth when we can see life in relationship to Heaven.....Even though you may be in a state of drama and everything seems messed up just know youre not alone...The path is there in place...It is OK......Have a blessed Sunday FBF...LY.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 14:40:50 +0000