Mountain Monergism Movement

With a phone call we were told that my sister Patti was not doing well. She had struggled with many infections that had afflicted her body over the last few years. Our family had watched as the evils of diabetes had chipped away little by little at Patti's life. A life that was always the joy and life of the party and one that always saw life as the glass half full or more.

Just two weeks before, Patti had refused to take kidney dialysis treatment, knowing full well that her body needed this treatment in order to survive. She was unwilling to live her life in that fashion and gave herself over to God's will. Her greatest desire was to leave the hospital and go home.

The phone call came and we were told we needed to come to see Patti soon if we had any hopes of talking with her. The night before she laid in great pain even with the doctors doing all they could to diminish as much suffering as they were able.

My wife and I, along with our daughter Reagan, left as soon as we could not knowing if Patti would last as long as the time it would take to get there. Everyone believed Patti was facing her last hours or even moments. We had hoped we would be given a chance to talk with her again. But what would we say? What do you say to someone that knows they are in their last hours?

Times like these also bring uncertainly in your words. One wants to be an encourager or speak words of comfort to those facing certain death, but most of the time you are left with little to say or unsure of how to say it in the right way. But this was my big sister. I had to say something. Moreover, I am a pastor, and pastors are called to minister to others.

When we arrived we found that God had granted Patti a few hours of peace from her pain allowing her to speak clearly to us and others. She held my hand tight and made me smile as she joked with me. I looked at her war scarred body that showed the battle that had waged over the last few years and had to hide the tears from her. How could I let her see my sorrow even though it was not a kind sight to behold? But then I looked beyond her scarred body and into her eyes and saw the Patti I knew and loved that was in a sinister way of being held captive to the evils of death.

She then smiled back at me and I knew in that instant that God had blessed me with a special moment. I realized that I now had a chance to tell her I loved her, and speak words of hope to her not only as her earthly brother, but also as her brother in Christ our Lord.

Quoting words like "all things work together for good" is not really the wisest scripture to proclaim in order to encourage a sister on her death bed. I'm not saying I deny this truth, because being a Calvinist, I have based my life on the fact that God is in full control of all things.

But please understand that this is my big sister. The sister that was there for me when I needed to talk with a sister. She had a special God given ability to show loving care to others. In times when I was treated as an outcast by some, Patti showed spiritual maturity in her words and actions. She had also been there for my wife when my wife needed that special loving care only Patti could give. She had treated my daughter as her own daughter, writing letters to her monthly for years and even helped support her financially with her schooling.

I knew she was about to leave this world and I also knew I was already sad to admit that this is the reality that is facing me. I know I will miss her not only for these selfish reasons, but for reasons left untold.

How do you tell your sister whom you love dearly, that is dying before you, that knows that her last moment is soon to be on this earth, that God is in full control? There is a time and place for proper theology and this did not seem like the time or place to remind Patti of this truth.

Before I had a chance to say anything more to Patti, with her swollen and puffy hands, she pulled me close to her body and began to talk directly to me. It was as if she wanted to leave me with some final words. Her voice was soft and weak, but still I was able to hear every word she said.

As I leaned in close she began, "Jimmy," she said, "I have not been outside on my own for 16 months. We don't know why God has allowed me to suffer, but we do know that it is in his will to do so. Something good will come of this, but I may never know what it is."

I was speechless. I had come to minister to my big sister and here she was ministering to me. She went on to tell me, "Always trust in Jesus; He is our own hope." All I could do was shake my head and agree with every word she had to say to me, and try my best to conceal my tears. She showed a great and living faith in her God in the darkest time of life.

Those moments with Patti made me think of chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes. The writer reminds us that our body will shut down just as Patti's body did, if we live long enough.

While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain (12:2).

This is a general picture of dark days. We speak similarly of entering the twilight of one's life. At such a time, the lights of the mind are dimmed. Your thought processes are not what they used to be. More often than not, your mind feels as though it is in the clouds.

In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble (12:3).

The "keepers of the house" are a reference to the arms and hands of the aged that begin to shake with the onset of old age.

the strong men shall bow themselves (12:3).

One of the signs of old age is the stooped posture.

the grinders cease because they are few (12:3).

We begin to lose our teeth the more that we age.

those that look out of the windows be darkened (12:3).

This speaks of failing eyesight.

the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low (12:4).

This seems to be a reference to hearing.

he shall rise up at the voice of the bird (12:4).

Although the older person might be hard of hearing, it also seems that it does not take much noise to awaken him.

all the daughters of music shall be brought low (12:4).

Literally, this says, "All the daughters of song are brought down." This might be a reference of the ability to sing or even to speak. Our voices soften in late life.

also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way (12:5).

Old age brings with it certain fears. There is the fear of high places due to the fact that it is easier to fall and it now takes longer to heal from such a fall. There is also the fear of traveling. The elderly are less inclined to take risks, for they are more aware of the adverse consequences.

the almond tree shall flourish (12:5).

It is my understanding that the almond tree blossoms in the winter when there are no leaves on the tree. When it blossoms, it produces a snowy white flower without any accompanying leaves so that the entire tree appears a withering blend of bare branches with a scattering of pale white. It is a picture of the sparse and thinning grey hair of the elderly.

the grasshopper shall be a burden (12:5).

We no longer have a spring to our step when we age.

desire shall fail (12:5).

There comes a time in old age when that which used to stimulate no longer works and when all of the aphrodisiacs in the world are powerless and when desire fades away.

The preacher concludes that this aging process only stops when "man goeth to his long (eternal) home, and the mourners go about the streets (12:5).

We all face death some day. It maybe a slow aging process, or death may come suddenly. But death will indeed come. When we are younger we don't want to think about death. After losing loved ones or seeing that parts of our body begin to fail us, we are forced to consider our own mortality.

You may have plans on setting things right with God when you rest on your own death bed. Your thoughts may be, while you're younger, “Why not live life to the fullest and get sure about God at a later date?” But these plans are not good plans at all. You don't know when and where you will die, for that is in the hands of God and God alone. Many have tried to take their own life and failed, living life in a vegetative form. On the other hand, if death surprises us, it is our own fault. God has given us warning signs that death is indeed coming, in our own failing bodies.

How have you responded to these signs? "Remember the days of thy youth" is how chapter 12 starts. You're not getting younger, but simply getting closer to that appointed date of death yourself. What have you done to make you ready for that day?

Patti had made things right with her God many years before. She believed that God's Son died in her place for her sins making her right in God's eyes. Late Friday afternoon, her spirit went back to God, who gave her life in the first place. She was now at home.

The last verse of the book of Ecclesiastes says, "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

Now, I must ask this. Are you ready for that day?