MEL LIVES ON TO SHARE HIS TRUTH
MEL LIVES ON
I received an email from Mel's son. It said Mel is in the hospital. The doctors said he had a massive heart attack and his body is full of cancer and he was going to be released to hospice. I was saddened with this devastating news.
I left immediately to go to the hospital expecting to see a man who is "half dead" and in state of semi-consciousness. I got to the hospital, looked up one of Mel's favorite Bible verses and proceeded to the room in the heart ward of the hospital.
I entered Mel's room and he was there with his wife and son and a lady who was going over the paperwork for home hospice care. To my surprise, Mel was lucid, signing the papers, listening and understanding everything about the hospice care.
Mel's instructions for the hospice care were no resuscitation, no medications, no feeding tubes, no nothing - just food as long as he could eat . . . to the disagreement of his wife and son. The lady asked him what he liked and would want to hear during hospice care. He said scriptures and old hymns. I know Mel, have for 38 years, and this is true to his character. He just wants to depend on God. He is a wonder example of a Christian man.
Mel's wife and son had to leave to go do some things at the home to prepare for Mel's return. Then, I had a chance to talk to Mel without all the things for administration of hospice and such. My first comment was. "I have a pop quiz." He said, "What would that be?" I said, "What does Proverbs 5:3-5 say?". He slowly quoted it, not exactly sure, but saying it surely - Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." I said, "Well done. You still have it."
Thus, I did not see the man I expected to see, "half dead" and in a state of semi-consciousness. I saw a man, lucid, talkative, and still depending on His God, the one true God.
We talked about the diagnosis of the heart doctor, "massive heart attack and full of cancer". Even if that diagnosis is right, Mel had no pain and has no pain from what they said was a massive heart attack, not even knowing when it could have been, and being full of cancer. Strange. Strange?. No, GOD!!
Even if the diagnosis is correct, God still gives Mel the grace he needs to go on and testify of who is God is and what He can do, even still in the seemingly final days of life. Mel admitted and quoted Hebrews 9:27a - "And as it is appointed unto men once to die . . " We all will die, but till then, God knows the beginning from the end and we press on even thought we may not understand and know why. Mel asks, "Why am I still here?" I said, "For me and all these other people who are around you, nurses and others, so you can testify and they can share with you." Mel agreed.
My wife, Yvonne, mentioned, "God gives grace to His people. In spite of diagnosed sickness, God gives grace to His people so they are not in pain even if they has a sickness." [though that's not always the case, but God can do that].
Is that why Mel has no pain? Quite assuredly possible with God. Yes, his body is tiring out, but his mind and his spirit are not. Mel still believes God and still trusts God and still is a great encouragement to us who are around him.
So, at the hospital, I was encouraged to be able to sit and talk with Mel about God's truth and what He is still doing in our lives. We shared, believed, laughed, and were at peace with everything because we know, "God's got your back, God's got our backs."
Mel still lives on. His days are numbered, as all our days are numbered, but we know not how many. Could be 1, 10, 100, 1000, or whatever. God knows the number. Till then, we still enjoy one another even though many may not understand why Mel would refuse any extraordinary treatment during his so called "hospice at home".
I told Mel, "The cat scan may indicate the "c: word (cancer) in your body, and they are not even sure of that. They said It just looks like it. But Mel and I know that he surely has the "C" word, being Christ in his spirit, and that is very well who they could be seeing in his body. He is full of Christ, not full of sickness."
Mel and I have shared 38 years together and it's been very good. I once told him when he was getting older that we had at least 20 years together still. Well, that 20 years has come and gone, and have been well exceeded, and I reminded Mel of that. So, now I can still said to Mel, "We still have time together. 20 years? I don't know, but God knows, and we know, when it's all done, 'it is appointed unto men once to die . . ' and then we have eternal LIFE."
Mel lives on and so do I and we also have eternity to see one another and share in the wonderful "C" word, CHRIST.
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