Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to Wander, Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/comethou.htm
I searched for over a year for the perfect words for my tombstone. When I first heard the words above from the hymn "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," I knew I had found my epitaph. This is only a portion of the song which tells my story. It is my prayer.
My tombstone now sits in the cemetery of my church but these words are not on it. Looking at it, I can see my future. You would think the sight of one's final resting place would send shivers down the spine. At one time, that would have been my reaction but life has a way of changing the way we view things. "Come my Lord, no longer tarry, Take my ransomed soul away."
Ever hear the bible verse from Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." It's true. I have a treasure in heaven and my heart yearns for it. It's the reason I've developed a fascination with cemeteries. I can't drive by them without scanning the stones for interesting pictures, shapes or verses. While I like the older stones, it's the newer ones that interest me. They tell stories. People put on symbols and verses that give you a glimpse into the life of the deceased. It's their last chance to show the world how wonderful their loved one was. It is where they carve their most intimate expressions of love in stone to ensure their prolonged existence.
I know the feelings behind the monuments. I stressed over what to put on my stone. Not because it was mine, but because it was ours. My husband's, my son's and mine together.
This is a beautiful hymn. This post is the perfect antidote to the grief I allow myself to wallow in when I remember the anniversary of my brother's death. I thank you for this and for the kind words over on my blog. Just for you, my favorite verse from my very favorite Christian song: "Who am I that the voice that calmed the sea, would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me" Who Am I by Casting Crowns
ReplyDelete5th Sister, I thought about adding the following comment to your blog the other day but I was afraid how it would sound so I didn't. When you shared the story about your brother, it was extremely helpful for me. Though our stories are very different, we both have suffered a trauma in our lives with which our friends cannot really relate. Hearing your story, reminds me that I am not the only one who suffers while the rest of the world carries happily along. What I am going through, others have already experienced and somehow that knowledge is comforting. "The storm in me" is exactly how it feels some days. I'll have to look up the song. Thank you.
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