The Story is True
“On him we have set our hope.”
2 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)
Normally today’s post would be a wrap up of our recent Christmas celebration, but 2022 has been anything but normal for us. It was, of course, our family’s first Christmas without James Bruce, but the unprecedented cold weather, disrupted travel plans, and Christmas falling on a Sunday also made this Christmas’ rhythm seem quite different. For us, it was also the first Christmas:
Mimi, Bruce’s mom, didn’t host her annual Christmas Day lunch
I didn’t make ambrosia, my Daddy’s favorite!
A host of small birds sought warmth in the shelter of all my Christmas wreaths!
Yes, many things about this year’s Christmas celebration were different, but last Thursday’s Celebration of Life for my friend Melinda Blackmon reminded me that the Christmas message is still the same: God came! The story is true!
I first met Melinda several years ago when she enrolled in my Wednesday night women’s Bible study. She was quiet, attentive, and faithful in attendance, often slipping into a seat on the back row just as our study began. At the end of our study one week, Melinda raised her hand and asked if our group would pray for her since she would be having surgery the next day.
“What kind of surgery are you having?” I asked casually.
“Oh, I’m having my left arm amputated at the shoulder to try and stop the cancer’s advance,” she replied calmly.
Stunned, we wept and prayed.
“Who does this?” I asked Bruce later that night. “How can she calmly come to Bible study when she’s facing such a life-altering surgery?”
Melinda had a 12 year ongoing battle with metastatic colon cancer and died at age 61. During her battle with cancer, she was blessed to see her three children graduate from college and get married. She also met her three beautiful grandchildren who were born during the last three years. Her family writes:
“During this season her faith was refined like silver in the furnace so that the likeness of Christ became increasingly evident for all who were watching. She chose to cling to Christ, her Hope, and make His good news known to all God brought along her path. During her journey as a cancer patient, she told countless doctors, nurse, caregivers, friends, and strangers of God’s goodness and the path He made to eternal life through his Son. Even in her last days the phrase “The story is true” rang repeatedly from her lips…”
2 Corinthians 1:9-11 served as the scriptural text for Melinda’s Celebration of Life service.
“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 1:9-11
Melinda’s youngest son Jonathan delivered his Mom’s eulogy last Thursday afternoon. Using Romans 5:3-4 as his text, Jonathan described his mother’s character, endurance, and perseverance during her suffering. He then outlined ten-character traits that Melinda consistently demonstrated throughout her life.
Godliness
Priority of family
Hard worker and lifelong learner
Commitment to excellence
Sacrificial giver
Intentional relationships
Comforter and a safe place for her children
Led by her conscience
Encourager – She was her children’s biggest cheerleader
Woman of prayer – She used 3 x 5 index cards to literally pray for dozens of people.
Jonathan also shared some of Melinda’s “Mom’isms:”
Her love for birds, music, and long conversations with complete strangers
Her love for the beach and beautiful sunsets
And always her daily self-assessment question and answer: “What do I know to be true today? The story is true.”
The message of Christmas is that God came! Christ left the splendor of heaven to be born in the squalor of a stable here on earth. But he didn’t just come to live among us. He came to die for us. Sinclair Ferguson writes, “The meaning of Jesus’ incarnation becomes clear only in His resurrection. Christmas needs Easter if it is to make sense. Without the resurrection, the entire story ends in confusion… A resurrection-less gospel is no gospel at all (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).”
Melinda Blackmon staked her life, suffering, and death on the hope and truth of the Gospel story. God gave the greatest gift ever given – His only Son- that we might live eternally (John 3:16). Melinda demonstrated a fixed focus on Christ; a firm stand; and a faithful finish.
Oh, that we all might do the same!