One With Him
Think back for a moment to your days in high school. Do you remember homecoming games? This was an exciting time filled with musical selections played by the bands, cheerleaders doing their routines with pom poms and sometimes even parades commemorating the event.
At the Mathes’ house recently it was homecoming day. It was a day to celebrate my wife, Dr. Mickie Mathes, being released from the hospital following cancer surgery. I was so filled with excitement I just didn’t know what to do with myself! It had been awhile since my wife was at home.
We didn’t have any cheerleaders but we did have a parade consisting mainly of neighbors who stopped by to offer a word of prayer and encouragement and to thank the Lord for what He had done for Mickie. She was only home for a short four weeks before she returned to the Middle East to her job as the associate dean of academic affairs at the University of Qatar, located in Doha. It is a beautiful, wonderful country and that is where Mickie will not only continue with her academic duties, but she will also be receiving chemotherapy while living there.
This may sound a bit selfish, but I humbly ask folks to please keep Mickie in your prayers as she continues her battle with cancer. Let us not forget though to also rejoice in the Lord for what He has already done, for what He is currently doing and for all that is to come in Mickie’s life.
God’s word is such a wonderful comfort during times of need. We read an example of this encouragement in John 14:23:
“Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’”
Christians should rejoice when they read this verse of Scripture. If we truly love the Lord than we should instinctively obey His teachings. The extent to which we obey God and His word defines the depth of our love for His son, Jesus Christ. When we do obey the Lord, we have a wonderful reassurance that the Maker of the universe, God Almighty and His son, Jesus, will abide with us. Being at home with the Lord means we can find rest for our weary bodies, peace for our troubled minds and encouragement when our lives seem to be turned upside down.
