In Her Condition
By Linda Gray
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV
“Her condition has changed.” In that moment my condition and that of my family had changed as well. The nurse on the phone was speaking of my mother. It was March 22, 2008 4:00 a.m. It was a call I knew I would receive. I knew what the word “condition” meant.
My mother experienced many “conditions” of life. We all do. It’s the human “condition” for lack of a better word. King Solomon described the conditions we humans would face in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
Born in 1924 the middle child of a family that would include 14 siblings. She knew the definition of “dirt poor.” Growing up during “The Great Depression,” she knew the condition of hunger and want. A bride at 16 years old, she experienced the condition of being young and in love. At 19 she welcomed her first child, a son. And motherhood changed her condition again.
Then the world went to war. She became acquainted with the condition of loneliness, although she now had two little boys who provided a distraction. Her soldier returned from the war. She was hopeful that her condition would be one of a happy family. Shortly after his return, her husband decided that he preferred the love and affection of another woman. Again, her condition changed. She was now a divorcee and a single mom.
She remarried. And two more children were added. Her children grew, married and a new generation was added. The new condition of Grandma was one of joy. Years later, great-grandchildren came.
Around the age of 16, she attended a Baptist church. She realized her condition of sin and gave her life to Christ. Definitely, a condition change occurred.
Her faith in God helped her cope with all the conditions of her life from then on. He walked with her during her divorce. He gave her strength to live with a second husband who wasn’t a believer. When he passed away from cancer, she bore a new title and condition, “widow.” The Lord was with her then as well.
Watching my mother deal with challenging times (read “terrible”), taught me many things. Her favorite phrase was, “It won’t always be like this.” That has resonated in my heart many times since she faced her final “condition” change on that early March morning.
However, this change is what we as believers long for. Her frail 84-year-old body was replaced by that of a young, vibrant woman. And instead of saying, “It won’t always be like this,” she scans the beauties of her eternal dwelling and says, “It WILL ALWAYS be like this!”
Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 slowly. Let it sink in. Make a mental list that would apply to the verses. Some of our life conditions will be similar. Some will be drastically different. The one common condition we all face is the sin condition. We are born in sin and need a Savior.
Do you know Him? If not, simply ask Him to come into your life and forgive you of sin. He will definitely change your heart condition. 2 Corinthians 5:17 enforces that truth. Are you facing hardships? He will change your condition of worry to peace.
Have you been walking with Him for many years? Then you truly know you can depend on Him to bring you through any condition you face.
I don’t know about you, but I look forward to my “final” condition.
Heavenly Father, You know when I lie down and when I rise. You know what I will face each day. As I journey through this life facing what comes my way, may I fix my eyes upon You. I long for the beginning of my final condition. Amen.
© 2020 by Linda Gray. All rights reserve
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Originally published Tuesday, 10 November 2020.
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