Moment #2-
A sacred Stella Moment:
Today (Wednesday, January 7th) my Mama went to be with the Lord surrounded by her husband, 3 children and their spouses. We had all wanted to be there, and God orchestrated that it be so. We are so grateful. I pray I never forget the details of this glorious, bittersweet day.
My precious Daddy has struggled from the beginning of his beloved's bone cancer diagnosis last February. He told me this past Sunday when Mama was still in the hospital that he would hold out until the end asking the Lord for His healing of her battered & diseased body. He was true to his word.
Sometime around 3 pm today, subtle changes began to occur in Mom, and my Daddy picked up on them instantly. His spirit was so in tune to her's and I think he knew what was about to happen in the next hour. He began pouring his heart out to the Lord, continuing to plead with God for her life. When her breaths had more and more seconds between them, he would take that giant hand of his and gently lay it on her chest and say, "Breathe Stella, please breathe." And she would. I am convinced she did just that because he was asking her to....it took everything in her to do so. How torn she must have been as her sweetheart pleaded with her to stay here, but her beloved Jesus was telling her it was time to come home! It makes me think of the apostle Paul's description of himself being "hard-pressed" about whether to go to heaven or stay for the benefit of those who needed to be ministered to by him...
The hospice chaplain, Elizabeth, came in to the room and discerned in Dad the intense struggle he was having with letting Mama go. She acknowledged that understanding to him, and asked if it would be ok for her to pray for Stella to be able to run to Jesus if this was "her time". He pondered over her question and then slowly but definitely said yes......though I know how much he wanted to say no.
I believe God used Elizabeth's prayer to lead him to the next step. After she exited quietly from the room to give us family time, Daddy began praying over her. And as he did, I felt compelled to open my eyes and fully embrace what was occuring and about to occur.....as my precious Daddy labored in prayer for his Stella, she opened her eyes and looked straight into her beloved's face......it was one of the most sacred moments I've ever experienced! Glory!
It was such a gift to see her look into his eyes on this side of heaven one last time. I couldn't help but think about the fact that Mom didn't have a fancy wedding or even get to be escorted down a church aisle when she married Daddy 65 years ago. They simply went to the preacher's house and got married. BUT today, her beloved husband surely escorted her down the path and to the very gates of heaven as he prayed her there! Glory again!
Daddy said "amen" and a few short breaths later, she left this world, "finished her course" (2 Timothy 4:7) and arrived in "the city, which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10). Glory x 3!
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4 comments:
Amen!
I am so glad you wrote this all down...is beautiful and yes bittersweet. I know from recent experience some of what you are going through and want to hug you and pray with you. I am on call and supposed to work all weekend. I am trying to get someone to cover Sunday so I can come to Atlanta...we will see! I love you sis, Apple
Sherri, for the past several days I've been asking our Heavenly Father to give your Daddy "letting go" grace. Wednesday afternoon right around 4 p.m. I was folding clean laundry when a prayer burst into my consciousness, unrelated to my current thoughts. It was as though the Lord himself were using my mind as a channel of prayer. The distinct words, though not spoken audibly, were prayed with a moment of intense conviction. "Lord, please usher Stella gently into your presence." Then I stood there for a moment, almost stunned over what had just happened, and wondered whether perhaps Stella had just made the journey from here to There. Fifteen minutes later a friend called to tell me that Stella had gone to Jesus fifteen minutes earlier. Sherri, I never knew your Mom, but I know the daughter she raised and loved and discipled, and that is enough to convince me that she was a remarkable woman. I very much look forward to getting to know this sister in Christ one day in Heaven. In the meantime I will continue to pray for your Daddy and you and your whole family. I love you, friend!
Sherri,I wanted to leave you a message. Your mother was one of the most precious ladies I have ever known. She was the first Sunday school teacher that my husband and I had as a married couple. She poured into our lives and modeled with your daddy what love..."real love" looked like. I will never forget the words of wisdom that she shared, the way she lit up when she talked about her family, and most of all the passion with which she served God. I will keep Ken in my prayers.
Kristee Dickson-Nashville,TN
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