Living out loud: What is your life saying to others?

Living out loud: What is your life saying to others? • Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie • Mar 20, 2021 copyright 2021

The last 3 1/2 years, I have had the privilege of overseeing care for my father-in-law, John Rambie. He was a great man and, unfortunately, he recently passed away. Walking with people in the last days of their journey on earth is challenging at times, yet so rewarding. I observed several things in Johnny’s life that impressed me as we spent time together. Everyone is advertising something, whether we realize it or not, and the way he lived his life showed what was important to him. Johnny wasn’t afraid to express his love for people. I frequently saw him holding his wife’s hand when they sat on their sofa to watch television, and they were always snuggled together. It was sweet to observe. He also loved his three children: David, Stephen (my husband) and Mary. When I took him to doctor’s appointments, we would frequently FaceTime while waiting, and his face would light up when he talked to them. He was not afraid to say “I love you,” and I will always treasure the times he told me he loved me, especially the last few days of his life. God wasn’t afraid to express His love for us, and that is evident in the many scriptures that tell us of His love. Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV) is one of my favorites and states, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Johnny told me the story about how he was born in Center Point, Texas, and weighed 3 pounds at birth. His mom kept him warm in a shoe box by the oven. He had strength as a baby, and that strength continued throughout his life, even when he endured the physical hardship of his Parkinson’s disease. He remained strong until the moment I saw him take his last breath. God was his strength, and Johnny knew and depended on Jesus. His Bible was always on the stand by his couch, and he loved singing gospel songs. We sang “Jesus Loves Me” and “Amazing Grace” many times to bring comfort and peace to his heart. He would sing with us and, when he couldn’t sing the words anymore, he would mouth the words, or just tap his foot under the blanket. What impressed me the most about him was his gratitude. Gratitude opens the door to joy, no matter what the circumstances. He was always grateful, and he expressed it. Every time we went to see him, took him to the doctor, brought supplies to him, he always us. A heart of gratitude governed his life. “Overcoming any problem begins with a grateful heart,” is one of my favorite sayings, and Johnny’s life showed that. He was always grateful and thankful, no matter what. He never let his hardships define him. He understood the value of expressing gratitude. Even in his physical difficulty, he found something to be grateful for. Gratitude opens the door to joy and overcoming adversity. Luke 6:45 (NIV) says, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Johnny’s heart was full of gratitude. Expressing love, drawing strength from God and always walking in gratitude are just some of the lessons we learned from this man. My prayer for our family is that grief will have a good work in our lives and we would grow in the things his life taught us. I am grateful for all the lessons that Johnny taught me and that grief has taught me. If you have lost someone you love, I ask God to heal your heart, too. Perhaps my newly released book, “Thriving Through Seasons of Grief,” will help in your healing journey. Psalms 147:3 (NIV) is a promise I depend on and says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” God is faithful to heal broken hearts when we partner with him. Although Johnny was a man of few words, the life he lived said volumes. The question for you and me is, what is the life we live saying to others?

Kathleen is a Hill Country author, writer, speaker and podcaster. She is passionate about helping people bring God into their everyday life. She can be reached at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com. To purchase her book or listen to her podcast, visit her website, www.kathleenmaxwellrambie.com.

Hope in Crisis

Hope in crisis Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie copyright March

2021 The last few days have been very challenging for many of us in our community and state. Like many, my husband and I have dealt with the temperature being 31 degrees when we arrived at our house, busted water pipes, water in our house, electricity only a few hours a day and cooking in our fireplace. In all of this, hope has been my anchor as I have lived in what seems like survival mode. Hope is not only vital in times of crisis, but also in our everyday life. It is necessary to keep us moving forward in any situation. The Bible has much to say about the subject of hope, and even secular society understands the importance of hope. What is hope? How do you get hope? What do you do when hope is gone or what you hoped for does not happen? Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for something to happen. To not have hope is to have a negative mindset that can be detrimental, not only for the person with a negative mindset but also those around a person who has lost hope. Where do you go when you need hope? I have found God’s word to be my “go to” spot for hope. Romans 15:4 (NIV) tells us, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” There are many negative circumstances and negative people in life, so it is important that we look to God’s promises for our lives. He is the one person we can always count on. Romans 15:13 (NIV) says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.” From this scripture, we find that hope is part of the character of God. It is part of who He is and who we are since we are made in His image, therefore, we always have access to hope. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) states, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” In this scripture, the meaning of the word hope is to bind, to strengthen and to wait. The benefits of hope are amazing. Hope in God, not our circumstances, gives us strength and keeps us going. Please note that we are instructed to not hope in anything but God. David, in the Bible, commanded his soul to hope in God. Psalms 43:5 (NIV) says, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” This is a good reminder for all of us to command our inner man to not rely on our negative feelings, but to put our hope in the one who has the power to change things. My late husband battled cancer and passed away 11 years ago. We prayed for his healing. Did I get what I hoped for? No, but to me, God never failed me; He was faithful and was with me in the most challenging time of my life. My hope remained in God that dearly loves me, in God to heal my broken heart and to help me keep moving forward in my life and purpose. God is looking for a people who are optimistic, see all the possibilities in life and hope in Him. Jeremiah 31:17 (NIV) promises us hope stating, “So there is hope for your future, declares the Lord.” I challenge you in these trying days to grab the above promise and trust in God. And once we are anchored in hope ourselves, then we can offer hope to those around us. I am praying hope will anchor you in your personal crisis.

Kathleen is a Hill Country writer, speaker and podcaster. She is passionate about helping people bring God into their everyday life. She can be reached at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com or you can listen to her podcast on kathleenmaxwellrambie.podbean.com and visit her website, www.kathleenmaxwellrambie.com.