After so many years of walking with my precious wife through the “Long Goodbye,” I have had great difficulty envisioning life on earth without her. Slowly, I have accepted that God’s plans for me continue after her homegoing; however, fulfilling His calling will require a drastic adjustment in the way that I conceptualize and do ministry. Whether I like it or not, the driven young man with an overdeveloped sense of responsibility is now pushing eighty years of age. Fruitfulness demands that I must fully accept the invitation Jesus extended to His disciples:
The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat (Mark 6:30-31 NLT).
John Ruskin, reflecting on a core principle found in these two verses, offers great insight: “God does not write the music of our lives without a plan. Our part is to learn the tune and not be discouraged during the rests. Let us not forget the rest is part of the making of the music.”
So, what comes next? At best, seeing through a very clouded lens is challenging; however, I am certain that I must be influenced by the past, faithfully live in the present, and eagerly anticipate the future:
Be Influenced by the Past
In America, we are at a crossroads: Many of the voices loudly clamoring for change are, wittingly or unwittingly, demanding that the restraints of God be thrown off and society rebuilt according to the whims of humanity. Conversely, God is calling for His people to have great appreciation for the past and teach our children to do likewise. Foundational to the Judeo-Christian principles upon which our country was built are the words of Moses spoken over 3400 years ago:
Attention, Israel! God, our God! God the one and only! Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!
Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night (Deuteronomy 6:4-7 MSG).
Faithfully Live in the Present
A century ago, among liberal scholars who rejected the inerrancy of the Bible, a shift toward defining God in the image of humankind began to take place. As this thinking worked its way into mainstream denominations, it was soundly rejected by Evangelicals. Unfortunately, in some circles, that united resistance seems to be eroding, and a message of “anything goes” is gaining ground: God is being portrayed as tolerant of sin, suffering is to be rejected, and Christ’s promise of abundant living is being confused with living out the American dream.
When I am tempted to get uptight over what comes next, I must remember the powerful words of G. Campbell Morgan: “God has foreordained the works to which He has called you. He has been ahead of you preparing the place to which you are coming and manipulating all the resources of the universe in order that the work you do may be a part of His whole great and gracious work.”
Eagerly Anticipate the Future
Some of the conflicting messages being floated on social media depict the church as irrelevant and lacking in power. The narrative in “The Church Triumphant,” written decades ago, demonstrates that this possibility is not a new phenomenon; however, acknowledging the possibility does not negate a wonderful truth that is powerfully set forth in the lyrics:
Let the Church be the Church
Let the people rejoice
For we’ve settled the question
We’ve made our choice
Let the anthems ring out, songs of victory swell
For the church triumphant, is alive and well
You know, this ship’s been through battles before
The storms and the tempests and all the rocks on the shore
Though the hull may be battered
Inside it’s safe and dry
It’s gonna carry its cargo to the port in the sky
As I prepare for my future on earth without Linda, I will forever be thankful for what she has taught me: The pain and suffering found among dementia patients and their families serve as a microcosm of the pain and suffering in the whole of society, apart from Christ there are no permanent solutions to the problems facing humankind, and the most powerful force on earth is the energy of Christ’s life being released through His body, the Church!
Ron Harvard Ministries 