God Notions

A dear friend of mine died last week. She lived a wonderfully full life, she was 95. Bea was a young 95 and touched so many lives. The pain in my heart that day I walked up to her to say hello, and realized I was a stranger to her, was one of my saddest days.

Bea had owned a bakery and would give me baking lessons every other week in her home. She taught me to make English muffins, noodles, pie crust and a plethora of other homemade goodness that marks a family tradition as a special one.

Now, I have been investing for 26 years, but at the time of my baking lessons, I had been at it for only 6 years. During one of my lessons, I asked Bea her thoughts on investing. I still see her face today, she turned and looked at me with a shine in her eye and smile and said, “My grandson has been brought up on stocks and bonds”. And with that, we began meeting at the library on alternate weeks where she showed me how to research businesses in a set of huge books I believe called, “Blue Books”. She was 70 years young and I learned a lot from her about investing, lessons I continue to use today.

Bea would walk every day. When she would get to the corner of her yard she would run to the edge of her driveway. She would tell me, “Run every day, even if it is just from the corner of your yard to your driveway. Your body forgets how to run if you don’t”. I can’t say I have put this bit of wisdom into practice, but I believe she may be right.

Bernard, Bea’s only son, runs a camp for children with illnesses or disabilities that would otherwise keep them from going to camp. Bea took me on a field trip to see this camp. As we were heading out her front door, she quickly threw up her hand and said, “Hold on a minute!”. Without saying one more word she hurried down the hall. I could hear the flush of a toilet coming from a point of the house not in use much. Bea came back to me, waved me on to exit the house as she explained. Her husband believed that the toilet, in the guest bedroom, should be flushed once a month. Bea wasn’t sure why, but when he was dying from cancer she made him the promise to continue to flush that toilet. Bea didn’t care that it was a silly request or that her beloved husband had been dead for 10 years. Her commitment to him was out of love, that he was no longer there was irrelevant.

When I found out Bea had died I was sad, but I knew she followed and accepted Jesus so my grief has been with hope. Until this past Sunday. Our congregation sang the “Creed” song by Hillsong, “I Believe”. It was in singing this that my heart, my mind, and my spirit were reminded of God’s promise. I was reminded of Christ’s purpose, sacrifice, and life. I was reminded that death is irrelevant to us. That life continues because of the life, the blood and the forgiveness of Christ. I believe in The Resurrection. I believe in the name of Jesus!

Bea is not dead. She is more alive than she could have ever been here on earth. She is restored, redeemed, and reunited with God the Father and Christ the Son!

Yes, I grieve with hope, but I realized my Joy! Hallelujah!

1 Corinthians 2:9 

 However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”^[a]—
the things God has prepared for those who love him— 

Praise God

Praise The Father

Praise The Son

Praise The Holy Spirit

Amen