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An Honest Account of Love, Grief and Walking With God
Finding God's Goodness in Life's Disappointments

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Hanging Between Life and Death

 Hanging Between Life and Death
Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie
Copyright

Summer of 2005 I found myself in downtown Houston, Texas at one of the speciality hospitals located at the medical centers. My sweet mother was battling a rare disease and the doctor we were seeing in Kerrville recommended we go somewhere that had more experience with this illness.

Mother also had some dementia  and Parkinson's as a result of the assault  of the disease on her brain. Sometimes she was not able to  process things easily and she was declining quickly.  One afternoon while sitting with her in her room, we began to hear a woman next door begin to moan loudly. I quickly rose from my chair and shut the door so mother could rest. 

The distress of the patient next door continued and by 7:00 p.m. mother said, “Will you go turn that off?”  I chuckled and by now, I was weary of the noise and felt compassion for the patient and the family. I had been praying for the person in distress and the only other thing I could think of doing to help was offer to pray for the patient in person. As I walked into the hall I met a nurse coming out of the patient’s room. 

“Excuse me,” I said as I greeted the nurse. “Is there family in room 210?” I asked.

 “No, only the patient,” she replied. “No one in the family has been up here for days,” she stated. My heart sank that no one had been there to support and love this person in their time of need. 

“Would it be alright if I went into the room and prayed for them?” I asked. The nurse knew I was a believer and she was also a Christian. “Sure, if you want to.” she said. 

As I walked in, I saw a woman with her eyes closed, tossing her head and body back and forth on the bed and moaning really loud. She looked like she was being tormented and seeing something that was causing her great distress. 
“I am here to pray for you if you would like for me to.” I said. “Would that be alright?”

The woman nodded her head up and down  and I slowly stepped a little closer to her bed and touched her hand. I began to pray out loud and ask God to pour His peace over her body and be her deliverer. The woman began to calm down a little but I could tell she was not doing well and wondered if she had long to live. As I stood there and prayed I felt God say, “She does not know me.” “Oh no,” I thought.

I very simply told her that God loved her, Jesus died for her and he  wanted to be her Savior. “If you want Him to be your Savior, let me know.” I said not really knowing if she could really understand. Much to my dismay, she squeezed my hand.

“Jesus, this woman wants you to be her Lord and Savior. Come into her heart and bring her peace.” I continued. The woman took a deep breathe and quit moaning and tossing! A peaceful look appeared on her face and she began to rest peacefully.

I exited the room and went back to check on my Mom. She was already asleep so I gently kissed her forehead and went back to the hotel for the evening exhausted but feeling confident in God and the difference His presence had made in room 210.

The next day I noticed a new patient being rolled into the room 210. I could not wait until the evening shift began and hoped the nurse I knew would be on duty. I knew she could not tell me much but I wanted to see what I could find out. Where was the woman I prayed with? Finally the nurse she appeared. 

 “ I know you can not tell me much but I noticed the woman I prayed for last night is gone today,” I said. “ 

“Thank you for praying for her last night,” the nurse in green scrubs replied. ‘Your prayers worked and the halls were quite last night,” she continued. 

“Where is she?” I asked. The nurse smiled and said, “She is no longer here, and your prayer was just in time” she said as her eyes shifted upward.

As I pondered what I heard, I realized the veil between life and death was thin. I have to wonder if the woman was moaning because she saw the reality of hell and then became peaceful as she accepted Christ. 

None of us know when we will take our last breathe and life on earth will be over. Heaven and hell are real. Do you know where you will spend eternity? Jesus said in John 11: 25, “I am the resurrection and the life, He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (NIV)

Becoming a Christian does not mean you will not face life’s problems. It means that you have a wonderful counselor and mighty God to walk with you through life’s challenges. If you are a Christian, there are people all around that long to see the hope of Jesus in your life and mine. I challenge you to open your eyes and look and listen for them. 

I use to be hesitant to share my faith but God has helped me in so many ways, loves me more that I can imagine, gives me wisdom beyond my years and been my comforter when my heart hurts. Life with God is too good to keep for myself. I have to give it away. 


Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie is a native to the Texas Hill Country, a writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping people discover their value and worth and God’s love, You can reach her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com or visit her blog at www.themaxwellminutes.blogspot.com   

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Thursday, April 2, 2015

Real Love, Never Give Up and Easter

Hill Country Community Journal
Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie
April 1,2015 copyright

  Several years ago I walked into the gym to workout  and noticed a man wearing a t-shirt that said, “Never give up.” God had spoken those words to me years ago when I was about to tell a client she had exhausted all the grace I had. “That was it; she was dismissed from participating in the program,” I thought. As I drove to her house and prayed, I felt God’s presence invade my vehicle and God firmly spoke to me and said, “Kathleen, never give up on people because I don’t.” I knew that if I did what I wanted to do, it would be contrary to what God wanted for this woman. I obeyed God and extended mercy and grace, with firm boundaries to this young woman. I treated her with love and respect. I am happy to say that years later she is highly successful and living a godly life. That experience taught me a valuable lesson that I live by today.
     The words, “never give up” on the man’s shirt  reminded me of how God never gives up on us. He never stops loving us or believing the best about us. I Corinthians 13:8 says, “Love never fails.” (NIV) God loves us so much he gave his only son, Jesus, for us. God let go of what was dear to him so we could enjoy life abundantly no matter what. The beauty of the Easter story is that Jesus never gave up on God. Jesus’s love for his father never wavered, even as he hung dying.  I am sure he didn’t understand because how on earth could a good father allow such a thing? Loving isn’t always easy but it never fails.
     I Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter in the Bible and talks all about real genuine love for others and how we are to love. If I were a Bible translator, which I am not, I would translate it like this:

 “If I am a wonderful eloquent speaker but do not speak with kindness and a heart of love, I miss the drum beat and the all my notes are sharp and flat.
     If I am  smart, educated, and can see into the future; and if I believe in God so much I can move Mt. Everest, but do not daily love others, I might as well go back to bed and forget the day.
     If I am generous and give to the poor, if I sacrifice my body for others but don’t do it with the right motive, I have wasted my time and money.
    Real love never gets in a hurry, it waits and doesn’t push others. Selfless love is gentle and looks for what it can give; mature love makes others feel more important than oneself. it makes others feel valuable,important  and wanted and does not have a high opinion of oneself. A person walking in love, walks in humility.
     Love is not sarcastic or and does not put others down; it always looks for the best in others and sees the good in them and  getting angry is the exception, not the rule. Love does not keep remembering when others hurt them. It makes a conscious effort to put the hurt and bad memories behind them.
      Love does not go around telling of others failures, it covers their failures. Love tells the truth.
     Love does not ever quit. it believes and looks for the best in others, love always has hope for others and endures the roughest seas and the hottest deserts to make the relationship a good one.
     Love will help you win the race every time. You can loose your ability to do your talent, you can forget the things you studied for years, 
     None of us know everything and we need each other.
     When I was young, I could get by being immature, unforgiving and mad at others but it is time to grow up.
     At the end of the day, three things hang around, faith, hope and love. But you will be a winner in the eyes of God when you walk in love; love is all that matters.” 

      Real love takes sacrifice, it isn’t easy, but it is worth it. I challenge you to read I Corinthians 13 daily for a few weeks and let the words wash over you and speak to you. Ask God what he wants to speak to your heart about His love for you and how you are to love those around you.
     God and Jesus both demonstrated their love for us in the Easter story. Love, forgiveness  and overcoming are the basic message in Christ’s death and resurrection. Before his death, Jesus was asked a question in Matthew 22:36-39,”Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself.”

 All of us will die one day. What will really matter to God and others, is how we loved. Do you love God with all your heart? Do you love others well or do you need to keep practicing? Do you daily tell God you love him and tell others you love them with your actions and words? Pride is often what keeps us from telling others and God we love them.

      I challenge you to open your heart to more of God’s love for you and daily tell God you love Him. He wants to hear those words from you. Join me in daily telling those around you that you love them. They need to hear it. We all do. And never give up on loving others because God never gave up on you.


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