I remember it like it was yesterday. It was Thursday, September 17, 2009 – a beautiful, sunny, crisp fall day. Sharon and I had made an appointment to visit Mart and Jean Amling at their home near Oconee, and when we turned off highway 51 and drove up the lane towards the house, Jean was sitting outside on a swing. She had a big smile on her face as she sat there on that perfect fall day, enjoying the beauty and the splendors of God’s creation. And I remember thinking as I saw her sitting there on that swing that right then – at that moment in time – Jean Amling was enjoying just a little piece of heaven.
As we visited with Jean and Mart and as we got to know this wonderful lady, it became clear that her life hadn’t always been as heavenly as it seemed to be on that September day. Jean told us about her two previous struggles with cancer. She told us about the time she fell off the ladder – a fall that by all rights should have killed any normal person – but like always, she bounced back. She recovered. It’s funny that often I have heard any number of people refer to Jean as a “tough old bird” – she seemed almost indestructible – and once when I used that phrase to her face, she just laughed but didn’t tell me that I was wrong. I almost think she liked it.
During the months preceding and then following the surgery for the cancer that eventually took her life, Jean’s day-to-day existence unfortunately became anything but heavenly. But I was truly amazed at how positive she remained. She knew that her days here on earth were numbered, and she knew that this time there would be no recovery. But as she told me – and this is a direct quote – “that’s okay.” I never heard Jean utter a single complaint about the bad things that had happened to her in her 86 years of life. Instead, she talked only of the blessings that God had showered on her during those 86 years. Mart – her high school sweetheart who was her loving, devoted husband for over 62 incredible years. Her children – Chris, Rob, Jennifer and Carol – and their families. Seven grandchildren. And seven great-grandchildren – including great-granddaughter Stella was born just last month after she was hospitalized for her surgery.
But when Jean and I talked, it became clear that she counted her faith in Christ as her greatest blessing. Jean was not afraid of death because she knew – she was absolutely certain – that her earthly death would mark the beginning of her eternal life with her Savior in Heaven. She knew and fervently believed the words of John 10:27 and 28, where Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” She knew that the Christian has no need to fear death because death is only a doorway into the presence of God. She knew that the Christian has no need to fear the grave, for the grave has no power over us. Our victory is Jesus Christ who has forgiven us and has forever freed us from our sins by His own death and resurrection, making us citizens of His kingdom into all eternity.
Mart, today we join you, Chris, Rob, Jennifer, Carol, your many family members and your countless friends in mourning the death of Jean. She will be missed by oh, so many people. We truly share your grief, we share your sense of loss. But as Jean would tell us – “that’s okay.” For this service today is not really for the dead – it’s for the living. Jean is living with her Lord, forever freed from pain and suffering. Through our tears and our heartache we can give thanks to God Almighty that her immortal soul is safely and securely cradled in the loving arms of Jesus. We can give thanks to God Almighty that someday – when He is ready – we, too, will join her in heaven. And we give thanks to God Almighty that because His Son has conquered death and risen from the grave, then someday we, too, will be resurrected with glorified, perfect bodies that can never suffer – can never be ill – but will always and only spend eternity in the glorious presence of our God.
In Genesis chapter 5 there is a brief reference to a man by the name of Enoch. Enoch never died. Scripture tells us that when Enoch was 365 years old, God took him directly to be with Him in Heaven. A story is told about a little girl who was asked by her Sunday School teacher to tell the story of Enoch. She said, “Well, Enoch was an old man who was really good friends with God. One day God told Enoch, ‘Enoch, you look tired. Why don’t you come to my place and stay and rest awhile?’ And so he did.” In a sense, we can pretty much picture God having the same conversation with Jean. “Jean, you look very tired. Why don’t you come to my place? And stay. And rest.” And that’s what she has done.
Thanks be to God, Jean no longer has just a little piece of heaven – she has it all! It’s hers for all eternity. And it’s ours, too. Now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.
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