The Gospel Express
I’m still here in Tulsa with Karen and George and my mother-in-law (99-1/2 years old). I have had a change of pace to my daily routines when at home in Austin, except for my blogging which I fit into my schedule no matter where I am or what I’m doing.
The time here is spent entirely with attention and submission to Mom and her needs. I’m delighted that I can because it is giving Karen and George so much relief while getting some long-overdue things done. I am grateful I can serve this precious couple by attending to Mom.
Mom and I have many talks. I bring up many memories that she barely recalls, if at all. But there’s the stories that she does remember that are indelibly imprinted in her mind. Like her horse and how she would ride him and pat the side of his face which encouraged him to jump over a hurdle. Like her baseball-playing days when she was a great player scoring many runs. She often asks me who I married and how many children I have. Her memory has waned, but mine hasn’t. I remember enough of the “good-old-days” that I can refresh her memory.
I was just 12-years-old when I met Mom; my husband was 13 and Karen was 9. We have a long track record. Mom directed the children’s Sunday School classes and the songs. She lights up with total recall and says: “Remember when they came in with their arms moving and going “Swish, swish, swish!” And I reminded her of us singing: “The Gospel Express come along and say yes! We’re leaving for glory soon!”
And mom sang the words with me. Those words “We’re leaving for glory soon!” are truer than true. It won’t be long, and she will be riding that Gospel Express. I will treasure these days with her – just before she gets to go to heaven. Heaven matters to her more than ever. She sits in her recliner and dozes in an out. She wonders why she’s still here. Maybe it’s to remind us that this life is fleeting and whether we are 59 or 99 when we go to heaven, it’s that WE GO TO HEAVEN!
One of my favorite sayings is “In the light of eternity….it just won’t matter”! I usually say that when discussions go controversial or making a trivial decision. I’ve stopped making a big deal about small matters. I’ve come to realize that what matters most is not what I’m doing today, but what I’m doing for eternity – for me and for others.
This life is so short, why should we sweat the small stuff? We’re going to spend much more time in heaven, than we are on earth. In his book, “Purpose Driven Life”, Rick Warren said “Earth is the staging area, the preschool, the tryout for your life in eternity. It is the practice workout before the actual game; the warm-up lap before the race begins. This life is preparation for the next”.
When we really understand that there is so much more to life than just the here and now, and we understand that this life is just preparation for eternity, we’ll begin to live differently. In the light of eternity, we’ll be able to handle every task, every circumstance, every relationship. Those things that once seemed so important to us—the activities, the problems, the conquests will seem quite unimportant on the radar.
This time with Mom is reminding me that her time remaining here will be short-lived. As a matter of fact, so is mine and yours – when it comes to eternity-thinking. Perhaps it’s time for all of us to consider the wonders and splendors of heaven that await us and get our ticket for the Gospel Express in our back-pocket and living in the light of eternity!
P.S. This photo is of Mom and Karen and I on her 90th birthday. Sweet memories!