It has been a little over a year since Steve's paternal grandmother passed away. She was a wonderful woman who lived long, worked hard, served others, loved lavishly, and was dearly loved by her friends, family, and community. But even so, we were reminded in the reminiscing that she was not perfect. She made a few mistakes in her lifetime. She took a few risks. . . made some gutsy decisions. I admire the strength with which she led her life.
She requested the hymn, "Victory in Jesus" for the service. The chorus, for those not familiar with this southern gospel hymn, reads "Oh victory, in Jesus, my Savior, forever. He sought me and he bought me with his redeeming blood. He loved me 'ere I knew him and all my love is due him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood."
I was wondering if my assessment of her life would be different if she had not walked with such courage and spirit. It seems to me that her "wins" outpaced her "losses", but would her life have been any less valuable if it had been the other way around? Perhaps the truly notable thing is that the "victories" in her life are a part of the fabric of her life in Jesus Christ. The victories and the defeats; the highs and the lows; the laughter and the tears- all threads that create the substance of life. Through the blood of Jesus, every bit of our lives are laundered. Every experience is redeemed and comes together for good.
As I look ahead, I'd still prefer more victories than defeats, more highs than lows, and more laughter than tears, but I'd like to be quicker to see the heart-breaking days as a part of the whole sacred journey I call my life. I'd like to rest in the truth that I cannot bring meaning to my life, but that my life has meaning because it exists within the context of Christ's redemptive mission.
