Revelation 14:13
A TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER
Every year about this time, I am reminded of my mother's
sudden passing. It is difficult for me
to decide which date to remember since she was on life support for 5 days. The family was left with the difficult
decision of whether to disconnect her when all evidence pointed to brain death.
It was a bitter pill to swallow. It was a terrible blow, but the worst was still
to come. Each year I still remember her
parting on the 17th of February, since it was the last time I spoke
with her that she was conscious. As I write
these words, my eyes fill with tears as I miss her again profoundly and painfully. Her death has left me feeling very much alone. I find myself drifting back to those
treasured times in nostalgia and reminiscence.
I do not expect anyone to read my tribute, but I have decided every year
to praise her publicly on this day and to let everyone know how much I still
miss her. She left so many precious
footprints engraved in my heart.
I have special memories of my mother serving others. Oh, what a servant of the Lord she was! Her hospitality, care, and compassion to meet
the needs of others is hard for me to grasp and fathom. I don't know if it was because she was an orphan
as a child and raised by nuns that made her care so intensely for others. Our home was like a hotel! She took everyone in. Oh, what a large heart she had! She worked from early in the morning until
she no longer had the energy to work.
One of her favorite proverbs which she repeated to us her children
was: “Tiempo perdido lo cobra Dios.”
Which means, “If you waste time, God will surely make you pay for it.” Give the Lord the best of your time!
When it came to devotion to her family, she
was fiercely devoted. Not only was she
devoted to her family, but she was also devoted to her neighbor. I couldn't have asked for a better
mother. God, in His infinite kindness and
generosity, provided me a God-fearing mother.
Even during her days as a devout Catholic, she taught her children the
fear of the Lord. She taught us to walk
wisely and always to do what was right before the Lord. I cannot count the many times she sat on the
end of the bed, counseling us to make sure that our hearts were right with God. In one of those long conversations, she deeply
touched my heart. It is then that I
decided from the bottom of my heart to seek the Lord and do what was right
before Him. She is the reason why I
began searching to find the Truth until I found it. That alone would have been reason enough for
me to always love her and treasure her in my heart. She was God's instrument that brought me back
to Him. She supported my search for the
Truth because she was also searching.
She obeyed the Gospel soon after I did. Today her husband and her
children are Christians. I cannot
possibly repay, or even recount, the debt that I owe to my mother.
My mother was not perfect, but one thing I know in my heart,
she is and will always be the image and example of a sacrificial mother, a
servant, a housewife, a soul-winning mom, a praying and godly one. She was very focused on living a disciplined
life and using discipline toward her children.
I owe that also to her.
The one thing that consoles my grieving heart is the promise
given to all those who died in the Lord.
The words of Jesus in Revelation 14:13 give me peace and consolation. Like so many areas of life, even death takes
on a different aspect when one views it from a Christian perspective. How blessed are the dead who died in the Lord
like my mother! What a loving, gracious, and almighty God we have, Who has given us that kind of hope which reaches
beyond even death itself. What an
exceedingly precious promise this is! A promise from the God who keeps His promises,
2 Peter 3:9, which is granted only to those who are in the Lord in their time of
departure from this earthly tabernacle. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Ephesians 1:3. We have many promises in Christ, but surely
there is no greater blessing than that of eternal life for those who die in faithful
service, Revelation 2:10.
"Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
As hard as it has been to bear the loss of my mother, I know
that death is necessary that we may change from this corruptible body into an
immortal one and receive the crown of life.
The good and comforting news is that death is swallowed up in victory
through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His saving gospel is glorious, I Corinthians 15:53-57. Death has no power over us
since we have died and been buried with Christ in baptism, and we are forgiven, Romans 6:3-4. Therefore, the second death has no power over those who die in the Lord, Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6.
"For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 15:53-57
I know in my heart that as time passes by, more and more
swiftly, it will not be all that long until I am reunited with my Lord
Jesus, the Father and those who have gone before us, like my mother and all
other faithful brethren. In the
meantime, I will still miss my mother deeply every day of my life and will
never stop loving her for who she was until we meet again in that fair haven
of rest.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones." Psalm 116:15
Luci
I heard about a mansion
He has built for me in glory.
And I heard about the streets of gold
Beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing,
And the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I'll sing up there
The song of victory.
Victory in Jesus by E.M. Barlett
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