Praise Him

Often through the course of life John Keats' timeless words have resonated with me: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." There are some things that are simply so full of grace and beauty that they take on the aspect of priceless gems set in the diadem of life. They are treasures to be held close to the heart, to be pulled out, admired, and basked in from time to time. This was one of those times, a time when God in His great kindness graced us with a bijou (that's high-falutin' French for "jewel") of inestimable worth.

We heard her even before we got out of the car. She was singing a joyful worship song as she stood at the door of her house to welcome us. There she was, over eight decades old, needing to use a walker--but singing with unmistakable joy.

She was my sister-in-law's mother. When she learned that Dennis and I would be visiting her neck of the woods, she told her daughter that she'd love to see us when we came. So there we were.

And what a visit.

Home bound for health reasons. Limited in her abilities due to age constraints. Yet none of those things moved her. Still mobile and, thankfully, completely cognizant, her countenance radiated with a glow from a wellspring of internal joy that effectively minimized the weathering on her features that spoke of the many years that had passed since we last met. Old? Perish the thought! Every atom of her being diffused an ethereal radiance that seemed to swallow up any indicators of age. And all throughout our very pleasant visit she never stopped smiling. Not once.

We had a lovely stopover, and as we piled back into the car, what did we hear? Singing. Joyful, happy singing. What a welcome. What a farewell. That smile, those joyous songs, will grace our memory for years to come.

Dennis and I have added this singing saint to our growing list of heroes we pray God helps us emulate.

Problems come to Christian and unbeliever alike. And yet, there are those called by the Master's name who, as they face those trials endemic to the human condition, fall by the wayside. They quit reading God's Word. They quit going to church. They quit hanging out with God's people. Some even take up vices like heavy drinking, to their spiritual detriment. People of whom you would never in a million years have thought such a thing possible. Their once fervent love for Christ cannot be found. Ahhh ... but then there are the heroes.

There are those who persevere no matter the odds. No matter the obstacles. No matter the disappointments. No matter the years it takes to get God's answer. Those who keep their eyes on Jesus because they know that, no matter what, He and He alone has words of life (John 6:68). Those of whom it is written, "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18). Those who welcome you at the door with a song.

In one of his beautiful, thought-provoking sermons, Dr. Brooks expounded on Song of Solomon 1:7. There the beloved says to the One she loves, "Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?" In other words, Dr. Brooks explained, she was telling Him that she doesn't want her time of rest and recreation to be filled with activities or people that are not those Whom she loves. She wants to be where He is. She wants to hang out with His friends. We see the picture of a person who loves and yearns for God so strongly that she follows hard after Him, after His people, a person who seeks out the places where He is to be found. A virtual living out of Paul's words, "Follow me as I follow Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). This is the secret to long term success. This is the way to finish our race with flags flying.

Lord, help us each to rise above the vicissitudes of life, to be that lady at the door, our mouth ever filled with praise.

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset is, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1).

"Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honor all the day" (Psalm 71:8).