Living With Purpose
American Country music singer and songwriter Joey Feek was a loving, faithful, Christian woman with many talents. She passed away after a hard-fought battle with cancer. I heard her in an interview four months before her death where she said, “When the doctors told me how bad it was and that my cancer was terminal, I went home and I cried. But the tears were not because of self-pity, but for my little girl (Indiana Boon Feek was a year-old at the time). I was heartbroken because what affect this would have on her.” Death or the prediction of it can shake the world of those who face it. Joey was a Christian who was grounded in her faith. She knew where she was going and what the future held for her. This gave her peace and security, but she was concerned for her daughter.
I read of a touching incident that happened many years ago. A newspaper published a story about a family consisting of a husband, wife, and a little boy. The mother was stricken with a disease that was going to take her life. It was sudden and dreadful. When the family physician called them together in his solemn, professional way and made known to them the brevity of her prognosis, all their hope sank to the bottom of their hearts. Then the question was posed by one of them, “Whose going to tell her?” They felt it was not the doctor’s place, not the aged mother, and the young husband was distraught and walking the floor with clinched hands and a rebellious heart. So, who was to tell her? The aunts and uncles did not want to do it, so the little boy was the only one left.
With no warning, the little boy dropped his book and asked them plainly, “Is Momma going to die?”
Without waiting for an answer, he ran to his mother’s room as fast as his feet would carry him. Some friends were already in the room by his sick mother’s bedside. They noticed the boy’s face was pale as he climbed on the bed and laid his head on his mother’s pillow.
“Momma?” he asked sweetly, “Are you afraid to die?”
The woman looked at him and knew why he had asked her this question. Perhaps she had already been thinking about it.
“Who told you Charlie?” she asked faintly.
“Doctor, Papa, and Gamma-everybody,” he whispered, “Momma, Momma are you afraid of dying?”
“No Charlie,” said the young mother, thinking of her son’s sensitive nature, “No, momma won’t be afraid.”
Remembering what his Sunday School teacher told him about Heaven, he said, “Just shut your eyes in the dark Momma. Keep holding my hand, and when you open them Momma, it’ll all be light there.”
When the rest of the family made it to the bedside and the young mother fell into a coma, little Charlie held up his hand and said, “Hush! Momma’s going to sleep. She won’t wake up here anymore.”
There was no heart-rendered farewell, no agony of parting. For when the young mother passed, as little Charlie said, “She was in the light.”
It is imperative for the person who faces death to come clean. The Bible says, “Each person is destined to die once (physically) and after that comes judgement” (Hebrews 9:27). All of us are sinful and prone to error. Therefore, God has made it possible for us to be ready when it comes our time to die. God in His love and forgiveness will not hesitate to cleanse the dirt and stains that come with the bitter warfare of temptation and sin. The following verse can be our testimony: “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:1-3).
The dying Christian can face death with peace, because the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has given it to them. “I am leaving you with a gift, peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). When a Christian enters the blessed hope of Heaven, peace forever more becomes their eternal dwelling place.
• This bi-weekly column is written by Matthew Dobson. He’s a teacher, U.S. Army Chaplain, and the Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in the New York Community. His “Living With Purpose” Book series can be found and purchased on www. Amazon.com. You can contact him at: rmdobson@liberty.edu.
