Death -the Unwanted Invader

On Tuesday, I thought I had this week's blog completed. I woke up Thursday sensing I needed to write in a different direction. I first heard the account of Blondin from my grandmother, but had never seen the photo or read his quote until discovering them as I researched this week. The quote strengthened my own trust in the Lord this week, beautifully illustrating what a life following Him looks like.
Death – I was never protected from its pallor and the incredible sense of loss reverberating from it. As a two-year old, I recall sitting motionless on a tufted chair, with only my eyes moving, observing with piqued interest as Mrs. Lyons, on the organ, accompanied my parents and maternal grandmother as they sang for a funeral at Poteet Funeral Home in Pawnee, Oklahoma. The deep, rich sounds emitting from the foot pedals on the organ mesmerized me. Only the promise of a flower, by my father, if I was a “good girl” as they sang, could keep quiet an active little one who liked to move to music. Sure enough, once we got to the “gravy-yard” – Mother quickly helped me acquire the correct terminology – and the burial service concluded, my father gave me the beautiful carnation that he had promised. I still associate the fragrance of this flower with funeral services. This ritual was repeated numerous times in my days as a preschooler.

Even though I was never sheltered from death, attended many funerals, viewed many corpses, and sniffed flowers of a variety of hues, to this day, in no way does it feel familiar. Death persists as a saddening, shocking, eerie severance.

This week after attending two funerals and grieving over a youthful life and a tiny one lost, I am once again left with the encompassing sadness, stability-shattering stress, and sapping of the peace which I seek to maintain during each of my days. The peripheral dims into oblivion and the stark reality of death and what lies beyond positions itself in magnified view, unable to be avoided.

There is no easy way around it – Death is our enemy. Paul states this in I Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Despite the promises of cryonics, the finality of death occurs for all of us. Whether it assaults my sphere suddenly or stealthily creeps into my presence, I recoil from death. No matter how prepared we are for the death of a loved one, the sorrow sinks deep into our beings.

The only comfort I find is in the scripture. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote to his young protégé, Timothy, in the final letter from the Roman dungeon, with his impending beheading squarely in his future.

And now He (God) has made all of this plain to us 

by the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, who broke the power of death

 and showed us the way of everlasting life through trusting Him (Jesus)

II Timothy 1:10 (TLB)

This is why I suffer as I do. Still, I am not ashamed;

 for I know Him [and I am personally acquainted with Him]

Whom I have believed [with absolute trust and confidence in Him and in the truth of His deity],

And I am persuaded [beyond any doubt] that He is able to guard that which I have entrusted to Him

Until that day [ when I stand before Him].

II Timothy 1: 12 (Amp)

Whether glimpsing a coffin, a hearse, participating in a funeral, or weeping over the loss of one loved, I am brought face to face with my own mortality. How do I deal with that?

My memory rewound to a morning when listening to Chuck Swindoll teaching about trusting Jesus. Each morning I listened to him as I got ready for teaching at Woodland Elementary. Swindoll retold a historical account from just before the American Civil War. A French aerilist named Charles Blondin staged a frenzy-stirring performance over Niagara Falls. According to Swindoll, it was an over 1,000 foot trip 160 feet above the raging waters of Niagara Falls.

Swindoll mentioned Blondin and a wheelbarrow. Anyone who knows me and my writing, knows I spend considerable time in research to assure myself that my facts are as accurate as possible. What a remarkable photograph I located on the Smithsonian Magazine site! It showed Blondin carrying Harry Colcord, his manager. In the article written for the online magazine by Karen Abbott on October 18, 2011, she quotes Blondin’s advice to Colcord for safe passage:

Look up, Harry… you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin.

Until I clear this place be a part of me, mind, body, and soul.

If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-daredevil-of-niagara-falls-110492884/#W6Ho3F25UFCWIXdZ.99

Blondin Carrying Colcord - accessed from smithsonianmag.com

What a vivid visual illustration from history that mirrors how genuine trust in Jesus looks! I must become one with Jesus as I love and trust Him with my mind, body, and soul. Doesn’t that sound like how Jesus answered when he was asked what the greatest commandment was?

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, and with all your mind.”   Matthew 22:37 (NKJV)

As I allow Jesus to carry me, remaining unified with Him, on the “tightrope” through this world, over its treacheries, I can successfully traverse this life, arriving safely at the end.

O Lord, may I love and trust you each day, seeking strength from Your Word, knowing only You will transport me securely to the other side by Your power.

Note: I never think about Niagara Falls without this memory excerpted from Okie Over Europe on which Dad and I collaborated to recount his World War II experiences.

          Edmund’s crew trained over Niagara Falls, the Great Lakes, and the wooded areas of New York. Their plane had the ten 50-caliber guns already in place. No ammunition, which would have weighed approximately 4,000 pounds, was on board. They were never able to test fire their guns. Edmund was secretly counting on all those years of squirrel hunting in rural Oklahoma to bolster his preparedness for engaging the enemy.
         One day while training in upstate New York, Fred Rabo, their pilot, enthusiastically announced, “Boys, we are going to see Niagara Falls!” Fred flew Target for Tonight down below Niagara Falls. This enabled them to look above and see the water thunderously tumbling and rushing down. It was quite a spectacular sight for Edmund to see. Although this maneuver was not outlined in his training manual, Captain Rabo knew these young men were leaving the United States for far more dangerous experiences, and this would be the only opportunity for them to see Niagara Falls from that thrilling vantage point. Edmund observed alarmed tourists with their mouths gaped open in awe at the sight of the powerful bomber with its roaring engines overhead. The entire crew laughed uproariously at startling the unsuspecting tourists at Niagara Falls.