Sharon
If you could look straight down, you could view the Oak Hill Cemetery in Newburyport, Massachusetts. There are deposits that have been made here that have a sure return, incredible dividends guaranteed.
Looking down into Newburyport, you can see the Old South Presbyterian Church on Federal Street. George Whitfield is buried under the pulpit. His preaching founded this church and many others up and down the original thirteen colonies in the 1740’s. It was the First Great Awakening in American History.
One of the main themes of his message, “You have a right to stand before God and surrender your soul.” No king or court could do that for you. This caused a revolution with England.
There is a return on investment here in Newburyport and Oak Hill. You can see it if you look closely. You can sense and feel it when you are here. There is new life… A Greater Awakening.
1 John 1:4-5 (NASB)
4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
Sharon had many trips to the hospital through the emergency room. Up until last November, I could visit her. Although these were very painful times, Sharon was always positive and always loving the people caring for her, talking and sharing with them her experience.
Many, many times her nurses and caretakers would pour themselves out to Sharon when they saw and heard how much she cared. They would come and spend time with her just to share their life stories, knowing that Sharon was listening to every word, sharing with them, encouraging them.
There was a level of joy that Sharon had in loving them, sharing Christ in her life, with them.
OK, yeah, some great stories. It happened often but this is one really joyful experience:
Walking into Sharon’s hospital room, Sharon calls out to me at the door. “Come and meet Barb. I told her you would be coming in and that you would help me pray for her. Barb, meet Brian, my husband.”
She was weeping telling part of her story and how she had excruciating back pain. Sharon took her hand, and I asked the Lord to fill her and bring peace.
Sharon was discharged four or five days later, and I met her to pick her up at the entrance of the hospital. This nurse was with her, with Sharon in a wheelchair. She was smiling and laughing, came up to me to thank me and gave me this awesome hug and said, “Is this the healing touch thing?” I said, laughing and smiling with Sharon, “This is Jesus Christ.”
There were some things about Sharon that set me back a little. She was a fighter. How could someone so beautiful be such a terror? She was unbelievably gracious with everyone unless she saw someone hurting or abused.
She knew there was an enemy of her soul and she never shrank back in fear or doubt about how the Lord loved her. She knew she was in a battle.
Early on in her struggle with her disease, she was in a horrible car accident near our home. A tractor trailer ran into her as she was getting onto I95. The car was demolished. Sharon was miraculously unhurt but bruised. She was sitting on the guardrail muttering “…bring it on.” when her friend found her.
The truth is that the Lord taught us to forgive. We would be wracked with guilt after we offended each other. And then, “I am so sorry…please forgive me… I love you…”
The incredible mystery of Christ in Sharon.
The hospice nurse just left after examining Sharon. Sharon had a great conversation with him. His prognosis was not good, that all her systems were shutting down. She smiled at him as he was leaving and told him, “It was nice meeting you…”
We were holding hands. “For some reason I thought I would have a little bit longer…” I could not talk.
The day before she had me call her oldest grandson. Sharon had a long talk with him and told him how much she loved him, “Don’t be sad, Josiah, I am going home to be with the Lord.”
Over the next while we held each other. She could feel my tears on her cheek. “Don’t be too sad…I am so sorry for what you’ve gone through.” “Even though I was frustrated and angry sometimes, I loved taking care of you…Sharon, you know we will be together soon…”
And then, she says, “Brian, you know I forgive you for everything, you know that, right?”…”I do…I so thank the Lord for you…”
“I know you are way over tired and exhausted. You need to promise me you will take a vacation. Go to a nice warm beach…take my ashes with you and scatter them on the beach…also please wear a white shirt at the funeral…and no white sox…and ask Cheryl to give you a hair cut…”