The Bus Ride

I know a young man; he is a friend of my youngest son.
He wrote poignantly about his grandmother, a God-fearing woman.
Her whole life was devoted to spreading the “good news” as she would call it.
I read his thoughts and realized that she passed the baton of faith well.

This special woman died on his 24th birthday.
He writes honestly about how he decided to let everyone know when the time came.
At first, he thought, Happy Birthday to me: I lost my grandmother today.
He read the hurt and the sarcasm in those words.

But then I shook my head, or God shook it for me.
In a matter of only a minute, my heart softened.
I took a breath and my statement changed.
“Grandma stole my birthday present this year. It’s okay, I’ll let you have it this time.”

This young man went on:
…her passing would be the greatest gift of her life, an eternity with the One who she made her whole life about. She would be dressed in Heaven’s finest clothes and would be singing in the heavenly choir she has always dreamed to sing in.

Four days before his grandmother’s death, God spoke to his heart.
He knew that his grandmother was going to die on his birthday.
It was as if God was preparing him.

He and his father had a precious time of worship as she lay in her bed.
Three generations singing, praying, and reading Scripture together.
This young man read Psalm 23 to his grandmother.

As I got to verse 6, (Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever) with what little strength and voice she had, she began shouting, “Praise Him, Praise Him. Amen. Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus.”

In her last moments on this earth, his grandmother did what she had always done.
Jesus’ name was on her lips and she praised Him.
When his grandmother did pass from this life to the next, he had peace.
God, in His grace and mercy, prepared his heart ahead of time.

I can relate.

I was a sophomore in high school.
I did not take a yellow school bus to school but rather public transportation.
In fact, the bus stop was at a corner where the The Frontier Saloon was located.
On a rainy day, the owner would open just the vestibule and allow us to wait inside.

This particular morning, I missed the first bus I usually took.
I needed to get a later bus and ride with people I didn’t know.
I sat in the front on one of the bench seats, wanting to get out as soon as I could.

As we rode along, a thought came to me, as clear as if someone was speaking right to me.
Your mother is going to die.
It was upsetting and frightening and I had no idea what to do with those lingering words.

My mother had rheumatic fever when she was a girl and it had affected her heart.
She took medicine, given to her years before, but never went to the doctors.
She never went for tests to reassess her condition.
The medicine was renewed for her since it seemed to be managing her condition.

She never appeared sick; one would never know she had those heart issues.
Only sometimes, I would catch her checking her pulse when she didn’t think I saw her.
Her heart apparently beat erratically on occasion.
Her little pink heart pill was obviously not working.

That my mother would die was not an impossibility.
However to know it so clearly on that particular morning upset me greatly.
Who do I tell?
Who would believe me?

A very astute chemistry teacher noticed my mood and asked me about it.
I couldn’t explain what was really troubling me so I made up an excuse.
I didn’t feel like anyone would understand.
I didn’t know if I even understood.

Less than a month later, my mother came into my room to make sure I was awake.
I love you was the last thing she ever said to me.
She had a massive heart attack on the kitchen floor.
She lay there, with a blue tint to her face, our little dog beside her.

I knew she was dead, though the emergency medical team resuscitated her.
She died later that afternoon.
I was heartbroken though I was not surprised.
I had been prepared all those mornings ago, as I sat on a bench seat in the front of a bus.

God in His mercy protected me.
God in His grace allowed me to know something my heart needed time to process.
Only God could be so loving and so merciful.

When everyone else was floored by the suddenness of her death, I was not.
When everyone else was asking, How could this happen, God had prepared me.
How grateful I was; how grateful I am to this day.

Knowing in my heart did not make it any easier.
It was still an incredibly difficult time in my life with more hard times to follow.
God got me through.
God has been with me every step of the way; His tender hand guiding me.

Fear not, I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…since you are precious and honored in My sight and because I love you. (Isaiah 43:1-4)

God spoke to the young man’s heart about his grandmother.
God spoke to my heart about my mother.
We both still went through the pain, but we did not go through it alone.

That is comforting.
That is everything.

The amazing grace and tender mercy of our God.
Simply because He loves us.