“The
tyrant dies, and his rule ends; the martyr dies, and his rule begins.” Soren
Kierkegaard
In
the book, “Church for the Unchurched”, the author relates the story of a young
woman who was active in her church’s ministry of care for the homebound. One
lady whom the woman was to care for was in her last days and needed a great
deal of help. The young woman called on this lady daily, prayed with her,
sat with her, and did everything she could for her. Soon the lady
breathed her last, and the young woman was stunned since she had grown to love
this lady.
After
much prayer and reflection in her mourning, she drew a conclusion she had to
share with her church’s pastor in a letter. In part the caregiver had
discovered that as much as she had given to the dying lady, it was not merely
the deceased she had grown to love (though she had). Rather it was the
life she found as she had given herself so completely to the care and ministry
of this lady whose needs were so great. She remembered in her thoughts and
reflections Jesus’ own words: “Whoever seeks to save his life will lost
it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17:33
NKJV).
As
much as we may try to hold and preserve for ourselves, we will lose at least
that much and perhaps more. Yet as Jesus teaches (and the young woman of
the story discovered), she had not really been living until she was giving
herself completely to one who was once a virtual stranger. She would miss
the lady, of course, but even as she mourned a part of her own life that was
over, she had found the fullness of life in her selflessly giving of herself.
May
we trust that Jesus really does know what He’s talking about!
Blessings,
Michael
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