The Brevity of Life

It happened so suddenly and unexpectedly.

It was a long and strained Friday night.  But even though T.J. and Ferrol had stayed up till about 1 am, they actually enjoyed laughing and joking with one another in the bed till they fell asleep from exhaustion.  They were in Memphis to conduct the AWANA Bible Drills at the First Baptist Church in Collierville the next day.  Churches from all around Mississippi and Tennessee would be there with kids who had worked hard memorizing and preparing. 

Startled at about 3:30 am, T.J. thought that Ferrol was having another one of her “charlie horse” attacks in her legs.  He reached over to turn on the light so that he could help her rub it out.  But something else was going on.  She wasn’t moving.  It looked like her tongue was swollen a bit.  Then, as his eyes woke up more and adjusted to the dim light, he noticed that her color wasn’t right, either.  He heard her gurgle with a shallow gasp which he now knows was her last breath!

Quickly, he dialed 911.  He hurriedly explained to the dispatcher what was going on.  The 911 operator began to give him instructions on what to do.  He put something in her mouth to keep her from swallowing her tongue.  He followed their directions as closely as he could, being in the frantic frame of mind that he was. 

Horrors! He remembered that his 6th grader was with them in the room.  And not only that, but Noah’s best friend Sean was there with them, too.  Now, he not only had to work on Ferrol, but try to comfort Noah and Sean, because they were now awake and frantic.

The paramedics finally got there.  They did much of the same as T.J., maybe a little more professionally, a little less frantic. Nothing.  Ferrol was not responding at all.

It was right at 4 am when T.J. called and woke me up.  As a pastor, I’m not a stranger to those late night calls.  But the thought that always runs through my mind when I get one of those late night, early morning calls is, “This can’t be good! At this hour?  It’s got to be either a prank call (I’ve had a few of those!) or someone’s in trouble!”

I couldn’t understand everything he said.  He was sobbing. He was frantic.  All I could really make out was, “My wife isn’t responding, brother, she’s not responding!”

His two older sons were at the church lock in as they had been involved in a county wide “Disciple Now Weekend” under the direction of our student minister, Angie Treadaway. He wanted me to get his kids and bring them up there.  “Let’s wait until we know what’s going on.  You call me bac……”  “I’ve gotta go, they’re taking us to Germantown Methodist!” Click.  He was gone.

I got up, explained everything to Pat, and began to get dressed.  Then, the call I never though I would ever get.  “She’s gone, brother.  She’s gone.  I’ve lost my wife, brother, she’s gone!”  It was as unbelievable to me as it sounded like it was to him, but I wasn’t there experiencing the horror’s of it all!

We got the kids, got to Memphis and tried as best as we could to minister hope and love to this poor family.  Needless to say, when T.J. began ministering to the attending physician, sharing the Gospel with him and urging him to trust in Christ, I was the one ministered to!

I’m so proud of how our church has responded to this missionary family.  The ladies got into their house back at home and began cleaning, cooking and waiting in prayer.  When we returned home from Memphis, there were at least 50 people there.  All quietly loving as only Christ could at a time like this.

She was 39 and a mother of 5 and the wife of a missionary.  What makes us think that it couldn’t happen to us?

Life is so brief.  I love David’s comment in PS 103 when he says that God remembers that we are just dust!  DIRT.  That’s what this body of death is.  But thanks be to God that this is NOT the inevitable end of all things. Everyone of us will die.  Every single one.  But death is not an end nor is it to be feared.  Death, for the born again believer in Christ, has lost it’s sting.  For death is merely  the path that we must all traverse in order to enter the kingdom.  Everyone wants to go to heaven. Nobody wants to die to get there. 

“I am the resurrection and the life.  If anyone believes in Me, though he dies, yet shall he live.  He that lives and believes in me shall never die.  Believest thou this?”  Those were the words of he only funeral message Jesus ever taught.

Life is short.  Are you ready.  Ferrol was. She didn’t expect to die that night.  But she was ready.  Are you?

(For more information about how to be right with God, see my links on this page or go to “buster.afr.net”)