A Tribute to My Dear Friend
It was 6 years ago. I remember exactly where I was sitting in my home. My husband and I were reading the Word while our two little ones tottled around, playing with their toys. I remember it being cold and dreary, but maybe it was the phone call I received and not the weather.
A friend called to tell me that Becky, our mutual lifelong friend, had cancer.
I was shocked!
Besides where I was, and what I was doing, I remember something else very clearly.
God whispered to my heart at that moment, "Do you trust me no matter what?"
Those words have stayed with me for the past 6 years...
Becky and I became friends in 9th grade. She was such a kind, sensitive, and caring person. I loved being around her. We both loved Anne of Green Gables and she was definitely one of my "kindred spirits".
She loved to sing.
I remember us girls would go to the bathroom during our lunch period in highschool to sing. Becky's voice was always so beautiful as we sang harmony, loving how our voices made a lovely echoey sound.
She was so talented, not only in song, but in many ways, yet always so humble. She never boasted or bragged about herself.
There are too many memories to speak of: highschool volleyball, skiing, sleepovers, time spent at her family's camp...so many rich with laughter, heart to heart conversations, and discussions about life and the Word of God.
During the last 6 years, Becky battled cancer, yet everytime I talked to her and spent time with her, she didn't want to complain or talk about herself.
She told me how she wanted God to use her to encourage others with cancer. She always had such care and concern for her children and husband.
It is heart breaking to lose someone you love; to witness someone so young die and leave behind a husband and children!
Doubt can creep in and try to grip your heart with fear.
I found myself asking, "Why?!" so many times.
Why can I trust you Lord, no matter what?
The Lord in His steadfast love, His patience, His grace, and His goodness taught me through Becky!
The Lord revealed more of Himself through His Word and reminded me over and over again of the Good News of the Gospel.
He can be trusted in times like these, because He is the one, true and loving God!
This God, our God, loved the world SO much that He gave us the Cure for our greatest sickness.
By His Son's wounds we are healed!
His Son bore the weight of our greatest grief and our deepest suffering!
His Son was pierced and crushed for our sin!
God can be trusted no matter what, because He satisfied our deepest desire. We have a giant, gaping hole that we try to fill, as human beings, with things other than God Himself. But God knows we can never be whole without Him. He is our Creator, Healer, and the Lover of our souls.
So He gave us Jesus who put on flesh and came to be with us. Jesus suffered and died the death we deserve to die. He was forsaken by His Father as He hung on the cross bearing the sins and shame of mankind.
God can be trusted no matter what, because with Him we always win.
As the apostle Paul said,
"as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Phil 1:20-21
We win here on earth, because Jesus is our constant companion, the One we have access to every moment of every day. He knows our weaknesses, having suffered Himself. We win, because as we believe and abide in Him, He fills us with His hope and healing and shines though us to a world in need.
We win in death, because we go to live with our Heavenly Father where there is fulness of joy forevermore! In Heaven there is no sickness, sadness, or sin.
This is the Good News that I can cling to when doubt tries to creep in and grip my heart with fear! He is the only One who can save us and carry us into life eternal.
I had no idea 6 years ago Becky's life here on earth would end yesterday, but for all the heartache and sorrow that accompanies her death, I can rest my hope in the God who whispered those words to my heart.
The God who Becky rested her hope in...Jesus Christ her Savior and her Healer.
I love you Becky and I look forward to singing together again in the presence of our Heavenly Father.
Amy
