She was strong in the Lord by Rene Vermeulen Recently an older lady in our congregation died. She had suffered a lot of illness during her last few years. Arthritis had partly crippled her and she had, of late, started to become a little forgetful. To top it off, about 7 weeks before she died she broke her hip when she fell in her flat one night. This meant a hip replacement operation and some 5 weeks in hospital. Not the happiest time in her life. This was followed by a couple of weeks respite care in a senior citizen home. One evening, in the home, she had a slight stroke which was followed by a much more serious stroke that same night. The family decided to nurse their mother at her home. It was clear she was failing. During those last few days of her life she was almost in a coma. Little communication was possible. Yet when the minister read the Bible with her and spoke about the forgiveness of sins and the wide open doors of the New Jerusalem she smiled. That was music to her ears. A Psalm sung by some friends around her bed also brought a definite response. A little later, surrounded by her large family, she died. A tired old lady. Yet in death her face portrayed peace – peace because life's earthly struggle had come to an end. A widow at 39 And a struggle it had been. She and her husband and nine children had migrated to Australia during the middle fifties. Her husband loved the sense of adventure and remarked once that he would have loved to come to Australia much earlier. She had followed her beloved husband, a man on which she depended so much. With her busy household and an inclination to see difficulties where there were none, she was often at her wits end at the end of a day. Her husband would come home and take charge of the family, finish cooking the meal, deal with the needs of his large brood, discipline where that was necessary, and much more. Yet only five years after coming to Australia, her husband died after a serious illness. He was only 47 years old and she a widow at 39. How could this lady manage to bring up her family of 5 boys and 5 girls? She had so much depended on the strong support of her husband. In human terms she was destined for an absolute failure. How would the children manage without the guiding hand of a father who was firm but fair? What about their growth in faith? She was no scholar. Her husband had always made her introductions for the women's Bible study. From a purely human point of view, this was a case that should be of utmost concern to the office bearers in the church. This lady would need a lot of help. And so would her children. And she received help, especially at first. For that she was thankful. But office bearers can't take over from a dad and husband. They have their own families to look after. Godly guidance She would now have to make a serious effort to learn to speak English. At least sufficient to be able to do the shopping and other things she had to attend to. And this was difficult. She had never found it easy to learn things. There were numerous other things she now had to do for the first time. Soon her older children found girlfriends and boyfriends. She needed to give guidance to them during the courting season. But how to deal with the son who came home with a girl who was not of the church? An Australian girl.  Now she would have to speak English even in her own home. Little did she realize that her broken English never stood in the way of this girl appreciating the faith this lady confessed. Relying on God’s promises It was a tall order she was faced with. Did she manage to carry it out? I don't think she thought so. Whenever I spoke with her about those difficult years she gave all the credit to her heavenly Father. She knew her weaknesses. Yet during these difficult years she changed. No, she did not become a super woman. In fact I don't think she changed that much at all during those years. The change in her was not one of changing the person. She remained very much the person she had always been. How then did she manage to survive? The answer lies in prayer. She trusted in her Lord to fulfill His promises to her. This was her strength. She knew that by herself she would never manage, but she believed the promises of God that He would be like a husband to her in her widowhood. We can only imagine the tears she must have shed during those early years. Tears of loneliness, tears of frustration and pain. But her faith in her Lord never wavered. It must have gone through some deep valleys, no doubt. Yet her children often heard her sing of the loving kindness of the Lord. In all her difficulties she maintained that God would care for her. That was her strength. Her children learned much from her. No lectures from this lady but simply living her faith. Her children learned to serve the Lord by example. And a strong example it was. Why do I write this? Because ladies such as this lady deserve to be remembered. Or rather, their faith and commitment should be remembered as the gift of a faithful God who fulfils His promises. This article is culled from the May 2005 issue of Reformed Perspective