Heres a view of the lake from Grandma Turners house. Grandma had lived there for over 50 years. She passed away this past Sunday. Sitting on the dock in this photo are 4 generations: my wifes mother (Twila), my wife Julie, our daughter Katey, and our granddaughter Lily. Permit me to share a story with you about my mother in law, Twila. It is her mom that passed away this past Sunday ... Twila and her husband of 60 years, Carl (my father in law), served as Christian missionaries to the country of Indonesia for over 30 years. Indonesia is the most Muslim populated country in the world. They were what I call real missionaries: they lived among the Indonesians, prayed with them, cried with them. They adopted the Indonesian way of life. They lived there years at a time, only coming to America when required by the mission board. Back in 1984, they came home for a furlough. We lived in Oklahoma at the time. I remember picking them up at the airport and bringing them to our house ... They were extremely tired. Jet lag is potent when you fly from Indonesia to the states - the flight is 2 days and at one stretch youre on the plane for 16 straight hours. When you finally land, youve logged over 24 hours in the air... My mother in law is a remarkable woman. A creative genius, she has more knowledge about the common things of life than anyone Ive ever known. And her inner and outer beauty is stunning. Well, when we got home from the airport, it was soon time for supper. My mother in law - mom I call her - though unbelievably exhausted, proceeded to make supper and serve the rest of us! How can she do this? I thought. Ive made that trip twice. Jet lag confines one to the couch for a week. What I remember most about this moment, however, is what I heard and saw while sitting at the table. It was the Voice of the Lord ... While munching on my food, the conversation went like this... Do you see your mother in law? I looked up and stared at mom. Though she was bone tired, she was serving her family, seeing to it that each of her children had sufficient food. She seemed to not care the least bit about her own needs, her fatigue, or any desire for food. Yes Lord, I replied. I see her. I continued staring at mom while she busied herself with serving. It was then I heard something I have never forgotten. As clear as a bell, I heard Him say: Thats what I look like. I melted. I knew in this moment I was witnessing a living picture of Jesus. It was like Jesus in the sense that it was a clear image of His teaching about putting others above ourself. It was the way of the cross. In spite of His fatigue and torn body, Jesus placed others above himself - even as he bled to death. On the cross: He prayed for his killers: He took care of His mother: He took care of John: He comforted the thief next to Him. I cant recall one time in the 36 plus years Ive been her son in law that mom has ever preached Jesus to me. But I can think of many, many times that she showed me what He looks like.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 21:50:45 +0000
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