For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 8:38-39
For weeks now these thoughts have been rattling around in my head! I’m not sure how it is all going to come out, but will you sit with me for a minute as I share some of them?
A few months back my father in law was given a terminal diagnosis. It came as quite a shock to the whole family… I know it did for my hubby and me. Even though the doctors gave him 6 months, we prayed for healing! We prayed for comfort! We prayed for peace! We also believed that God was the only one that held his days in His hands… no matter what medical reports said.
It was my father in law’s decision to not receive any medical treatment… it would only prolong his life, but not cure him… and what would be the quality of life for whatever amount of time he had??? He reconciled himself to this being the right choice for him, and the family supported this. He said he had lived a good long life, that he lived many years past the age his father was when he passed. He shared that he was just ready to rest in his Savior’s arms and see his loved ones that had gone on before him.
Every night, for I don’t even know how many years, Dad O. would send an evening email to the whole family. It was mostly tidbits of what went on in their day, maybe a word of encouragement, or memories he would share from the past. We all looked forward to this short note to feel his touch to each of us. If there was a night the email didn’t come, there was always a quick phone call to inquire if something was wrong… usually it was internet or computer problems causing the missed note. In the last few weeks, the nightly email was very short or hit-or-miss (which is understandable), knowing each night this could be the last.
Late in the night on Saturday, March 7, 2020, my father in law, Raymond Orth, received his complete healing as he went to be with his Lord. It was sad for us that will miss him, but at the same time a glorious occasion with Dad O’s promotion to Heaven!
Let me share just a little more about my father in law with you… as I knew him for a short 30 plus years! He was a Lutheran pastor for almost 58 years. He, being a humble man, never wanted the limelight shined on himself. He did all that he did for people, just for the love of the Lord.
As a great example of the humble heart of a true servant-leader… he always told us, his family, to not ever make his funeral a “celebration of life” when he was gone. I do get what he meant by that, BUT… I also get that God used him to shine God’s light and love into the lives of people Ray had the privilege to meet.
The verses above, Romans 8:38-39, was one of Dad O’s favorite Bible verses. It was his confirmation verse. As I opened my study Bible to this scripture, there was a handwritten note I had put there many years ago… it said, “There is always reconciliation.”
I don’t remember why I wrote that or even what the circumstance was why I wrote it, BUT… I could feel Holy Spirit start to stir something in my heart as I pondered… what was I to see in this?
The word, surrender, came up again, also grace, forgiveness and sacrifice.
So I looked back a few verses to Romans 8:35-37…
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
One of our nieces sent a snapshot of an evening email Dad O sent back in 2003:
Like in any family… ours is no different… there have been bumpy roads that we have trod. Some hurts, some misunderstandings, some not accepting each other’s decisions (good or bad), some not being able to forgive. In the long run… none of these things matter.
Like these verses in Romans 8 reminds me that nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. NOTHING can separate me from forgiving as I have been forgiven. Nothing should stop me from showing grace as God has shown me grace through Christ Jesus. Surrendering to God all of it… the good, the bad, and the ugliness. When we can do that… there will always be reconciliation. It is not about who is right or who is wrong… it’s about loving each other in spite of ourselves!
A friend shared this quote with me from Laura Story, “In real life, relationships require a lot of grace applied over time, and they are almost always helped by an attitude of mutual surrender.” Let it be so!
Something else about my father in law… every Christmas he would write a letter to send out to friends and family. It would be a typed letter, but he would always add a hand-written note on each before sending. This year as we received our Christmas letter from Dad O… we knew it would be his last. Part of what he wrote to Luke & me was asking us to pray for him that he would keep the faith to the end. All I can say to that is, “well done good and faithful servant.”
In His Grace, Carin