SERVING TO THE END

When you read this post, you will know I am officially old!.  I can pinpoint where the thought had its origin, but as always, it was a circular path to get to the point of today's post.  I want to record certain memories for my children and grands to know  some of my life stories.  This is one of those memories of something which is no longer observed.

It was the custom, by some, but not all, for someone to stay with the dearly departed until their earthly body was committed to the grave.  Family members and close kin considered this a sign of respect and love to spend their appointed time sitting by the casket.  When I researched this, before we had funeral homes, who now house the deceased until their comital, the wake was conducted in homes and the body of the deceased would be at home during the time before the funeral.    Now from what I read, originally there were a number of reasons someone stayed with the body, until the burial.  I will refrain from going there, but needless to say, by the time I came along this was no longer the case.  I remember distinctly my father performing this vigil, though never my mother.  As a young adult, I took a turn sitting at the funeral home with a dear older friend's husband who was also one of my clients.  This is the only time I did this, as by this time---it was literally a dying tradition.  With the advent of funeral homes housing the bodies, this tradition slowly went away.  The night I took a shift I stayed from after the calling hours until the wee hours of the night when I was relieved by the next sitter, it was an experience I have never forgotten.  You could call it an other world experience.  I was sitting by the body--alone in a funeral home---lights dimmed---deathly (pun intended) quiet.  Thankfully I am not easily spooked, but if anyone had popped out from behind a curtain, they probably would have had to bury me too.  I was doing this for my friend, the dearly departed had no idea, but she wanted someone with him.  I could take that one point of stress off her in this time of intense grief.  I did it for the love of my friend.   Traditions such as this--though sweet ---are long lost---probably because of the realization it is not only no longer necessary, but costly for funeral homes. If the funeral home had someone there to sit vigil, some staff member would have to be present every hour someone was in the funeral home for safety and liability reasons.  The closest thing to this is when an important royal or statesman dies as with Queen Elizabeth or George H.W. Bush.  Someone stood vigilance or "guard" over those coffins until they were interred.

How many times in life do we do things out of love---not really understanding the why's and in some cases thinking this is not necessary, but we do it anyway.  A true act of love is done with no thought of repayment ---only serving someone we love.  THAT, my friends makes for a good life--when you go above and beyond without thought of yourself.  NOW---I am not tooting my own horn for I have also spent much more time being self serving than not, but I also realize the times I served were also the best of times.  

"Be devoted to one another in love.

Honor one another above yourselves."

Romans 12:10

HIS GOOD PURPOSE

THINK  this over---and do not come to some quick judgement, but instead listen to the facts.

 I spend time with the ladies at The Well who  are not in the best of health.  For various reasons, they do not have the best of habits when it comes to maintaining good health.  After a while, these bad habits will catch up with you.  The good news is the leaders at The Well now have a dietician who is meeting with the ladies and we are providing an exercise class a couple of times a week.  The dietician is focusing on having healthy choices in the pantry and how those choices can be used to help with a better diet.  I really laugh to myself when the interns (recent college graduates) fuss at the ladies who are diabetic about the grams of sugar in their selections.  The ladies are middle age and up---the daughters are teaching the elders.  A lifetime of bad habits is not easy to overcome and old habits die slowly.

NO matter how you feel about those in poverty and how they got there---poverty is a very real thing in our society.  I have a story to tell--and I want you to ponder the facts before throwing a comment out.  This is daunting ~

One of the ladies has recently been diagnosed with a serious cancer.  She has no transportation, she is middle aged, her landlord is less than reliable at keeping the property up to par, she is classified below the poverty line, and she has limited education.  She will have to make the trip to Shreveport (70 miles to the treatment center) five days a week for some time to have chemo and radiation treatments.  She is at the mercy of the transportation system provided by the system.  The first indication of what a nightmare this could be was when they failed to pick her up for her first PET scan.  She really has no idea what is ahead, but all of us, who have helped care for loved ones who went through this, understand.  She is not going to feel good---at best.  She still will have to worry about transportation showing, getting her prescriptions, managing pain and discomfort, meals, and trying to continue her babysitting job.   Cancer in itself is daunting, but add on to that living in poverty and it is overwhelming.  I am overwhelmed for her.  How to help while maintaining her dignity and independence is daunting to say the least.  We will work to serve our friend as she makes this journey.

 The question becomes are you being nudged by God to be a good neighbor?  In what ways might you be able to help someone God is showing you?  The Well would love to tell you of the opportunities to stand along side our neighbors such as this.  What could be more satisfying than to know you are answering the call to build community and serve those in need?  This quote from Oswald Chambers beautifully sums up this calling ~

"Joy comes from seeing the complete fulfillment of the specific purpose for which I was created and born again, not from successfully doing something of my own choosing."

"For we are God's masterpiece.

He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,

so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

Ephesians 2:10

AT WHAT COST?

 

In the past my volunteering has always taken on the appearance of sweeping in and walking away when the act of service was over.  Even all those years of working with children, there was a definite beginning and end to each occasion when I was serving.  I am not discounting these points of light.  There was purpose to each and every occasion.  Lives were impacted by tutoring, reading, and building relationships over the years.  Remember the sweet little girl I mentored the entire four years I was in Fort Worth?  She learned a lesson of trust, acceptance, and care from a total stranger who came week in-week out to spend an hour with her.  It was an important time of growth for us both.

Remember the homeless shelter I tutored in every week while in Fort Worth?  It began my journey of working with the chronically  poor.  I was still sweeping in and walking away each week as I volunteered.  This time was always spent with elementary age children.  The population was transient--the goal was to get these families back on their feet.  I never met with anyone for longer than two to three months.  The faces were always changing.  The number of homeless families helped in this one shelter was staggering. There are several shelters in Fort Worth.

Move forward and I am back in Ruston and became involved with The Well.  This volunteering has taken on an entirely different look.  Over the months I have formed relationships with a core group of women.  We have grown to know each other and become friends.   With time and lots of talk, I have grown to have a much deeper understanding of the problems associated with poverty.   I also have slowly begun to take on the weight of the burden of the problems faced day in - day out when there is never enough.  I have looked in the face of the reality of the very real rationing of services among the poor.  When you do not have financial resources, no transportation, limited education, and always health issues, the world can seem daunting.  I have gone from standing on the sidelines holding the water bucket or shouting encouragement to truly being in the game.  I am feeling the bruises and the  pain with being shoulder to shoulder with the players.  My back becomes bent with the weight of the burden of helping those living in need.

The fruit I am producing has come with a cost.  God has called me to obedience.  With my willingness to serve, He has pruned me and shaped me slowly over the years.  There is great joy with serving, but there is also a great cost.  I do not always serve with a wonderful attitude, but I keep on serving knowing this is His plan.  God takes me--bad attitude and all--and produces fruit.  These ladies know they can trust me, know I have their best welfare at heart, and God has used my willingness to grow relationships to bridge societal gaps.  There are nights I come home with not one ounce of emotional energy left.  ALWAYS--the next morning I am rested, renewed, and ready to face the battle again.  If we are obedient, God is faithful and WILL provide all we need to serve those in our path.  There is a very real cost---time, resources, and energy are depleted when you agree to help shoulder the burden of God's children.  The rewards always outweigh the cost--you can NEVER out give God.  He is well pleased and shows His good pleasure with us by His great love for us.  

God is enough in fact He is MORE than enough!

"But if anyone has the world's goods and see his brother in need, 

yet closes his heart against him,

how does God's love abide in him?

Little children, let us not love in word or talk,

but in deed and in truth."

I John 3:17-18