“She went on to talk about how hard forgiveness is, how unnatural it is, yet the Lord has given us the power to forgive.”
If you to look up the word "feisty" in your pictorial dictionary, you would find a picture of Cora Dick staring back at you, with a twinkle in her eye, and a "yes, I'm up to something" smile on her face.
Cora has lived in L'Etete, New Brunswick all of her 87 years, and for seventy of those years she played the organ in our worship service. Unfortunately, those overworked hands have given her problems in the past couple of years and she's had to slow down a bit after having an operation for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Recently, she had a heart attack which landed her in Charlotte County Hospital in St. Stephen. I've been in visiting a few times now, and I'm amazed at her optimistic spirit that always seems to put a positive, no, humourous spin on things. Cora may be 87 years old on paper, but to look at, and listen to her, you would think you were dealing with someone much younger. Plain fact is this: Cora has a young heart, even if it's a bit tired.
Well, last week the doctors decided it was time to try a new drug on Cora and, unfortunately, it caused her heart to stop. The rhythm became more of a rumba than a waltz and that made her very disoriented. So, for a few days things were a bit dicey, to say the least.
This past Sunday, Ron (one of our Elders) and I went to visit with Cora and take her communion (in our congregation, we celebrate the Lord's Supper each week as the central part of our worship together). We went hoping to encourage her, but instead she encouraged us!
After talking for an hour or so, we brought out the communion emblems and began to have a bit of a worship time, focusing on the Lord's sacrifice. Well, I read a bit of scripture out of the Psalms and began to say a few things in keeping with Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf, when Cora began to talk. She said "You know what? The Cross is everything to me! It's everything to me that Jesus was willing to die for my sin! That's why I have to forgive others." Then she went on to talk about how hard forgiveness is, how unnatural it is, yet the Lord has given us the power to forgive.
Both Ron and I looked at each other, and suddenly anything we had to say seemed rather unimportant. After all, Cora had hit the nail on the head! It was one of those moments when there was a definite shift in gears. We were there to minister to her, but she ended up ministering to us. She touched us with her simple, profound, deep faith and, as we shared in the bread and the cup, there was a sense of humble, thankful worship that made my spirit go, ahhhh!
First, faith really does make a difference! Cora would be the first one to say that the past week has been difficult and troubling, but her faith has made a world of difference. It has taken her fear away, it has allowed her to laugh instead of cry, and to be thankful even in her present situation. Cora's faith has been an island that has allowed her to float above the dangerous doubts and "why mes" that most people have in similar situations. True faith isn't just a fair weather friend. It's value really becomes apparent when the storms of life come.
Second, A sense of humour is so important! If we can laugh at, and in, our problems, we'll be so much better off than if we allow them to gnaw at us. At one point, because of the disorientation of the drug she was on, Cora got out of bed and fell on the floor, taking the network of bells and whistles with her. As a result she was bruised and sore, but did that set her back any? NOOOOOO, she made a joke about it, and entertained the staff and visitors by recounting the story. A positive attitude, and a sense of humour — without them life gets pretty bleak!
Finally, the cross IS EVERYTHING! Cora's absolutely right. Sometimes we get all puffed up in our faith and the vast array of Biblical knowledge we possess and we go off on our tangents and pet DOGmas. Hey, it's great to know as much as we can about the Bible. It's important to study and dig into the riches each word possesses. But the bottom line is this: the cross is everything. It doesn't get more profound than that. Jesus loved us enough to endure the pain of the cross. He wanted a relationship with us enough to pay for our sins so we wouldn't have to pay for them ourselves. And now, in His resurrected splendour, we have a hope and a peace that will carry us through everything this world has to offer and into the glory that awaits us in the next! PRAISE GOD!
Lord, God, thank You for the encouragement of the saints. Thank You that You not only give us opportunities to minister, but surprise us with gifts of ministry to us! Lord, most of all, help us to always remember, and always come back to this one truth - the cross is everything! Thank You for the glory of the cross and the hope and love it communicates to us! Amen.