GOING HOME

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. II Corinthians 4:16 (NIV)

My little mom has been packing her tent for quite a while. She has been with hospice care for almost two-and-a-half-years. We watch her fade, sometimes on a daily basis, but her spirit remains strong, and she is joyful. She understands that things and experiences and people do not make for joy—it only emanates from an intimate relationship with One whose presence brings “fullness of joy.”

Not long after my father died, Momo told me, “I don’t have anything. I don’t have a home. I stay in this room. But I’m happy.” And her face and her attitude confirmed her words.

Another time when I asked her who she wanted to see first when she got to heaven, she said, simply, “Jesus.” “And what will you say to him?” I asked. Softly, Momo answered, “Thank you.”

I want to be like Momo when I grow up.

Father, I am so blessed to have had a mother like Momo who has loved and served you faithfully for 85 years. Make me authentic and true to you so that instead of me, your image is evident to everyone. In Jesus’ name I ask. AMEN.