Pastor’s Corner: “It’s Your Breath”
Romans 8:37-39 (NLT) – 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[ neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As I prayed this morning, I was struck by God’s amazing grace and mercy. He works in our lives even when we are unaware and He is always working for our good. While my heart was saddened when I received the news of Ms. Diane’s passing, another part of me rejoiced in thinking about her re-uniting with her Savior and her husband!
I was reminded when she came to me a few months ago asking if she could be baptized. I could tell by her body language that she had to muster up a good amount of courage to even ask me and that this was way out of her comfort zone. But I could see beneath the surface was a deep longing for more of Jesus and the good things He had prepared for her. I can still see her face in that memory and how beautiful she looked as she was stepping out in hope and expectation, reaching out her hand to her Savior. When we overcome our fears and doubts, stepping out in faith and trust – with longing for His goodness, this is beautiful to God. Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) – 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
I believe she was ready to be baptized right then and there, but she also wanted to share this beautiful gift from the Lord with those closest to her. So we scheduled a date when her grandson from out of town would able to come and be a part of this special time. She also shared her concern with me about the logistics of the baptism. Because of an existing medical condition, she could not lean backwards. I assured her that this would not be an obstacle and that we could accommodate her special needs.
Being the middle of winter, I decided to purchase a large horse trough from Tractor Supply that we could use for the baptism indoors. I would set a chair in the trough and we would pour warm water over her from pitchers. But because of unforeseen circumstances, we had to push the date back and her grandson would not be able to attend. With these setbacks, it could have been easy to just continue kicking the can down the road, both Diane and I felt a determination to see this through despite the delay. She discussed it with her grandson and they both agreed that she should move forward with the baptism.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning and Diane brought her neighbor and best friend Pat along with her caregiver and husband to share this day with. She was glowing again with the beauty of the Lord and I could feel God’s good pleasure in Diane’s faith and obedience. Our whole church family was privileged to witness and be a part of this extraordinary morning with His blessings for Diane. This is how I feel for every baptism that we are privileged to be a part of. The rejoicing in heaven comes down to earth! God’s presence certainly filled our church and our hearts that morning.
Once you get to know Diane, you come to find that she is a woman who is slow to complain or grumble no matter how difficult her circumstances are. She has endured many hardships in her life, more than we could probably ever know. Yet she continues to move forward and praise God. Because of her life experiences, she has a high pain threshold, meaning she could handle more pain than most without complaining. A few months after her baptism a pain in her stomach became unbearable. She went to the doctor and found out that she had stage IV cancer. In reality, she had had this cancer for many months. God already knew and was at work in her life even when she was unaware and He had good things in store for her.
Some would question God’s goodness in light of her recent baptism to why she wasn’t healed. But I see a much different picture. I see a beautiful picture of God’s grace and mercy. He was preparing her to come Home and her baptism was about (grace) giving her what she needed in her last days. Job 14:5 (NLT) – 5 You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer. I am reminded of baptizing my mom before the last year of her life. God was preparing her for her journey home. Despite my mom’s medical struggles the last year of her life, she had the most peace and calm that I had ever witnessed in her. It was the most beautiful thing that out-shined her struggle, thank you Lord. God was preparing their (my mom and Diane’s) homecoming! Let us not miss God’s great mercy and love in this.
Let us Pray: Father, we are thankful for “Sweet Diane” and short time that she was a part of our church family. We are grateful for the privilege of witnessing Your great love and mercy in and through Diane’s baptism and Your great faithfulness to Diane in her last days. As you loved Diane, remind us how much you love us! We praise you Father! Amen
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton