In a Moment
Patsy Kuipers, Guest Writer
TODAY’S TREASURE
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
Like most people, I’ve experienced numerous life-changing moments. But one, in a windowless hospital room with my 7- and 10-year-old daughters by my side eclipses them all. It was there I received a 4-word answer to a question I barely dared to ask, an answer that severed my life into two distinct segments: before and after.
April 19, 1997 – a sunny Saturday amidst a string of warm spring days. My 39-year-old husband, Ray, left for work at The Home Depot shortly after noon. Our daughters, Mary and Jessie, and I were finishing lunch as he bade us goodbye. Why didn’t I get up to hug him? Instead, from my seat at the table, I asked, “Want to go to early service tomorrow?”
Ray: “Yep!”
Me: “Ok!”
All. So. Normal. I can still see his hand on the doorknob as he reached back to lock it, ever-protective of us girls. Funny the things you remember when there are no more memories to be made.
I’d promised Mary and Jessie a trip to the mall for some new clothes and a food court meal so, mid-afternoon, we made our trek to Town Center.
A line of thunderstorms moved into the area, so severe we tuned into The Weather Channel as soon as we got home. The Local on the 8’s banner appeared about the same time the phone rang. Chris from the Kennestone Hospital emergency department informed me Ray had been transported from work by ambulance and asked if someone could bring me to the hospital. I assured her I could drive myself. But as I did so, hands clenched to the steering wheel, begging the Lord to let me find Ray alive, all while attempting to calm my daughters’ fears, her question flashed a warning.
Upon our arrival, Chris escorted us to a private room. She asked questions about Ray’s medical history, fanning the ember of hope he was still alive.
Kind but matter-of-fact, she stated, “The doctor will be in to talk to you.”
I pleaded, “Can’t you at least tell me if he’s alive?”
Silence.
I demanded, “Is he alive?”
She hesitated, then, “No, honey, he isn’t.”
A fatal heart attack snatched this kind, godly man from our midst. My daughters and I heard the news as one and uttered an incredulous gasp. Hadn’t we seen our beloved husband and father a few short hours before, alive and well? He went to work. How could it be he’d never return to us?
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
When I awoke the morning of Ray’s funeral, I knew I wanted to speak to the attendees. I also knew there was no way I could do so in my own strength. I prayed to God for help and I asked the pastors leading the service to look my way at the end. I would nod yes or shake my head no.
In His goodness, the Lord enabled me to deliver the message I longed to share:
“’Live each day as if it were your last.’ We say it like it’s a bumper sticker, don’t we? But a few days ago, I got a harsh reminder. It’s true. None of us knows when the last goodbye will be said. Keep current in your relationships. Tell your family you love them. Thank your friends. Hug people who are dear to you. Let them know you care.”
In spite of great loss, we live in hopeful assurance of a promised moment that will change things for eternity, when the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable when death will lose its sting and be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:52-55).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patsy Kuipers often refers to herself as “Gardening Grammie,” a title encompassing two of her favorite pastimes. Widowed at age 38, she was blessed to be gainfully employed for all the years she spent raising two daughters on her own. When her job was eliminated several years ago, she returned to school to study horticulture, a passion born of caring for the garden her husband left as part of his legacy. Patsy is Grammie to three young but enthusiastic garden helpers. She enjoys teaching them ABOUT THE AUTHOR: plants and the One who created them. She is a member of Grace Covenant Church in Dallas, GA, where she serves on the Women’s Ministry Committee and leads women’s Bible studies. Patsy started her blog, Back 2 the Garden (patsykuipers.com), to tell others of God’s great love and faithfulness. In 2020, she realized a long-time dream when she compiled some of the lessons she’s learned in her garden into a book, “Be Still, Quiet Moments With God in My Garden.”
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Originally published Monday, 24 April 2023.
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