The Spokes Must Be Connected to the Powerful Hub

             Lou Brock, whose family were early-day Benders, contacted me concerning the death of Gil Morris. He reminded me my blog posting of August 13, 2017, exactly one year earlier, featured Gilbert Wayne Morris and was entitled Only Two Names Will Do. (This is a link to that blog posting about Mother's relationship with Gilbert Wayne Morris https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2017/08/only-two-names-will-do.html ) For about three weeks, Mother and I had been praying for Gil’s healing and for him and his family to be aware of God’s presence with them. My mother dearly loved Gilbert Wayne and wanted that posting written last year. I am thankful I followed her prompting.

Gilbert Wayne posing for Mother
with an egg he found. Mother
snapped this photograph
on the first Easter the congregation
of the Big Bend Baptist Church
celebrated together. A building had
not been erected yet. (1951)

            This week, I witnessed as a wife, sons, a mother, sisters, grandchildren, and an entire family found themselves in the dark season of grief. As I attended the funeral, I was moved by the example set and reminded of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian Christians.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.  I Thessalonians 4:13

Paul wasn’t telling people to “suck it up” and maintain a “stiff upper lip” and not sorrow over the death of a dearly loved family member. Instead, God inspired the apostle to remind the early day believers that because of their “God-centered” life, they grieve, but with the deep-seated hope of eternal life for their Christian loved one.

             Recently, our pastor, Mike Brock, emphasized being “God- centered” in every area of our lives. He reiterated our focus should not be God first in our lives, but our relationship with Him and commitment to His principles must be the central hub in our wheel of life. Just as spokes connect to a wheel's hub, all aspects of a Christ-follower are joined to Him, with His over-arching influence affecting every part of a life committed to Him. Our family, our entertainment, our financial decisions, our vocation, and even burial of our loved ones are altered by our relationship with God Himself.
             Unknowingly, people live unconnected to the divine hub of the powerful Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. Several decades ago, I recall listening to a doctor express concern about his mother. He said pensively, "She has her faith compartmentalized. It's like she has her 1-hour-duty done on Sunday and puts it in a box to pull out next Sunday, and the rest of her week is unfazed by Jesus or His word." He concluded that his mother was a practical atheist. From his observation, her life was not God-centered. As a god to herself, she remained in a state of anxiety, according to her son, because she was unsuccessfully trying to handle every aspect of her life. Sometimes the self-deified individual only realizes her detachment from God when adversity shakes her world.

In contrast, I heard these phrases spoken this week. “Gil saw the face of Jesus” and “How can someone go through this without the Lord?” These phrases were based on what the Bible teaches.

…to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;

For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

This ongoing relationship with Jesus strengthens our Biblically-based beliefs and directly impacts not just our grief and times of crisis, but our daily decisions. Each day we interact with our loved ones, as well as having brief one-time contacts with people we are unlikely to ever encounter again. The Spirit of God who dwells within those of us who are “God-centered” desires us to allow His love, peace, patience, joy, and compassion to flow through us.

Finally, Gil left us the pattern to carry on his legacy of gracious compassion grounded in daily communication with God by reading the Bible and praying. Russ Hughes, his nephew, who delivered the message at his funeral, selected one of Gil’s favorite passages from Proverbs 3:5-6 as his text.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Lord, may we be “God-centered” as we trust You with all we are. Enable us to refrain from strategizing, fretting, and scheming our way through life. In our “God-centeredness” may we look to You, knowing every step will be guided by You. Then when our time comes to follow Gil, may we, with confidence, know You will lead us through death just as You have faithfully led us each day here on earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pam Morris Felix, Patricia Morris Chaffin, Merlene Morris, and Gilbert Wayne Morris
May 2008 - one of my mother's  favorite photos of the Morris family