Edna had all the wrong cards in life. I did not hear much of her younger days other than that they were abusive, her marriage less than ideal. Her husband died of cancer, her daughter committed suicide and her son is in jail. She did not endear herself to others and lived a lonely life.
I crossed her path when her son began to come to church. Unfortunately his addictive nature and habits overtook his searching. In the midst of this I met his mother.
She never attended church. She had lived enough of life to be suspicious of others. She tended to reject a God of love.
These last few weeks, as she lay in hospital dying of cancer, I talked to her of heaven. Not a lot. At first she scoffed.
I’d like to say that she came to see Jesus as the doorway to heaven. I’m not sure. Perhaps I was not as direct in speaking to her as I would have liked. Perhaps I thought she had more time. Perhaps I cannot change a person’s mind.
Only God can.
Only God can touch the deepest, inmost parts of a person. The closest I come to that person’s inner sanctuary is by prayer to God on their behalf. And so for these last few days I have been praying.
For Edna, that she would come to Jesus, the doorway to God and to eternal life.
Edna died yesterday. Her time for decision is past – those prayers are finished.
But a new prayer has been birthing in my own heart. God is giving to me a greater desire to tell others about Jesus. God is calling me to have more God-chats with others. God is pointing out to me that, while I cultivate a relationship with others, I need to be simple, direct and understandable as I talk to them of God and Jesus and life.
From Edna’s death I sense a Spring of new life emerging!