 There are few things that take your breath more than seeing your name on a stone. The arrival of Tall Boyfriend’s headstone was delayed by the quarantine and I was none too sad about that. I had dreaded the day that I had to stand and see, written in stone, not only his name but my own name as a reminder of loss and the finality of life. I am not one to enjoy thinking about the fact that we age, get sick, and eventually leave this world. I typically live in the moment and soak up every piece of it… or so I thought. At some point throughout Bill’s battle with Lymphoma, in the months of having hopes shattered with bad news, I learned even more about appreciating every second of life. Even more, I found myself wanting to hold a perspective that maintains a focus on the people around me that I love, the differences I can make in the space I occupy, and the big and little blessings God drops in my life.
The day that the stone was set, Heather happened to be with me when I got word that the men were finished setting the stone. Thankfully, I had support when I realized how much closure I still needed in all of this. We walked up to the cemetery to see what I had been dreading for months. I thought I would cry but no tears came. I did not fall on the ground in despair and ugly cry myself up a sinus infection. I actually saw the joy in it all for two reasons. First, Bill is healed and left a legacy that impacted many lives. Second, I myself only have one date on that stone! And I suddenly had an even deeper perspective of “redeeming the time”. (Ephesians 5:15-16 KJV) What will I do with the time in between now and when some stranger engraves my second date on that headstone? I will live like my name is already on a stone! How is that measured? By our fruit! Join us in the coming weeks as we dive into learning more about the Fruit of the Spirit and living life as if your name is on a stone! -Kim Carroll With each year it passes it seems that I have this greater tug deep within my heart and soul to follow the age old adage of “leaving people better than you found them”. Anything other than that just does not feel good to me. It doesn’t compute for me to hold negative feelings for too long. Anytime I have felt those feelings I can tell that it physically hurts my body. It wears me down. It doesn’t feel healthy. Galatians is packed full of Paul’s passion about how to live life like your name is already on a stone. He gives us a list of “do not do” things that are of the flesh. This can be helpful, but I love to be solution focused. What is so awesome about Paul’s teaching is that he also tells us what TO DO. He gives encouragement! But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 The struggle is real! Following this laundry list of goodness can be so difficult amongst life’s circumstances and heartbreaks. Perfection of this list may never be reached, but think about the blessing that can come if we just make a conscious effort to keep striving. Beauty and peace can be found as we commit to “redeeming the time” by exhibiting the fruits of the spirit. I’ve spent a decent amount of time in cemeteries over the last few years. On Mother’s Day I visited the place my mom was laid to rest. I was reminded of not just my mom’s life, but many other family members who have passed. As we walk through this life there are things we accomplish. Most of all, people remember our hearts, how we handled situations, how we offered grace, kindness, and love. We remember individuals and the feelings they left us with. We remember how faithful they were and the joy we also experienced while being a part of their lives. These descriptors that Paul lays out in his letter in Galatians are guideposts we can use to move through daily life while we are still on this earth. My name isn’t on a stone yet, but one day it will be. As others visit that stone, they will reflect upon my life and legacy which would encompass the fruit I produced with God’s guiding hand. I want to live every moment with this thought in mind. What fruit or fruits of the spirit do you already exhibit? What do you struggle with the most? -Heather Lynch
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed