A tribute to Linda

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Live long; live well”

Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “A tribute to Linda”

Today would have been my late wife Linda’s birthday. She has been in heaven for close to three years now. In 2007 Linda had a major stroke that came close to killing her. For three days we didn’t know if she would live or die.

She survived, but with significant disabilities that changed her life in many ways. However, she lived for more than sixteen years after that and she lived very well. She needed a walker and a wheelchair for mobility, her ability to think deeply about complex issues was impaired, the entire left side of her body was weak, and her left arm was almost unusable. But despite that, Linda lived – and she lived large. She was active in all aspects of church life; she accompanied me on mission trips (including to the Transylvania region of Romania to conduct VBS in Gypsy villages); as well as multiple mission trips to the coal-mining region of eastern Kentucky. We took vacations around the country to see family and friends; and she was active in all aspects of children’s ministry. She was known as “the craft lady” because she loved children’s crafts and she would spend many hours planning them and then leading the children in making them.

In every case she had to make extra efforts to compensate for her disabilities, but she did it and she overcame the challenges. As the years passed, her health continued to decline until eventually, she was often weak and sick to the point that just daily living required a lot of extra effort. But she still never gave up. She was even in church the Sunday before she died.

Living long and living well requires a determination to persevere through tough times. You will have to resolve to suck it up, lean into it, push through it, and just keep on going. Linda did that and as a result, she was an inspiration to me and to all who knew her.

After more than a year of grieving Linda’s death, God brought Aimee into my life – a truly extraordinary woman in her own right! So much so that she has the strength of character and the self-confidence to celebrate Linda’s legacy with me. In fact, we have made my late wife Linda, and her late husband Tim, part of our family. Their pictures adorn our home; we talk about them frequently; we celebrate their important days; we remember the good lives they both lived.

Living a long life is a privilege many people never get, but the longer you live the more trials and challenges you will have to deal with. Therefore, living a long life and living it well will require persistence, perseverance, tenacity, and the resolve to just keep going and not give up.

We should all thank the Lord for the encouraging examples of people who show us through their example how to live long and to live well.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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