Watching my best friends family celebrate and grieve the life and death of Rosemary Lavin, known to me as Mommom, has ministered to my heart and faith so much. Mommom lived a full life, 91 years (!), and got the chance so few are given: to say goodbye to her family over a weeks time, in person, in phone calls, voicemails, and handwritten notes. What struck my heart the most was that her initial fears about death that week gave way to a robust longing to go home. So much so, when she woke from dozing off here and there, shed say almost annoyed, Why am I still here?? One of the ways death is described in the Bible is as a veil: something we pass through, not a final destination. Mommom really believed this. She didnt preach a sermon about it- she lived it out. In her last moments, she didnt long for death, she longed to pass THROUGH it, to get to the other side. She wasnt in great pain, fear or depair, she wasnt longing for escape. At peace and surrounded by a family showering her with love- Rosemary still longed for to be in another place, a better one. What a kick in the rear for me. Mommoms faith strikes my heart right where I need it- faith when it counts, when things get real. In the last few years, my faith has been torn to shreds, dragged through the mud of a personal betrayal, ugly political arguments and stupid, pithy internet memes. It seemed to me at times that Christians, with the exception of a dear few, were the stupidest and least helpful people in my life. (Sorry! :/ ) This crisis of faith has driven me to read like I never have before, inside and outside of my faith, finding geniuses and idiots on both sides, haha. Finding reasonable, rational men and women in the faith has helped tremendously in my climb back out of the mud, but accounts of faith when it matters have even more so. Mommom Lavin is one of those. Her last words to her family, bye-bye for now, were not an offering of wishful thinking or empty consolation- she meant those words literally. Even if shes wrong- and I dont think she is- her faith in Jesus, resurrection and reunion have brought the sweetest comfort and joy to her family. Ive never seen grief borne with such joy. These words have been on my mind since her funeral: Death has been swallowed up in victory... Oh, Death, where is thy sting? 1 Cor 15:54-55 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God... Hebrews 11:16
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 16:21:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015