From the Pen of Ruth Bell Graham

God,
let me be all he ever dreamed
of loveliness and laughter.
Veil his eyes a bit
because
there are so many little flaws;
somehow, God,
please let him see
only the bride I long to be,
remembering ever after -
I was all he ever dreamed
of loveliness and laughter.
-from Sitting by my laughing fire

"I am thy shield,
and thy exceeding great reward."
Could heart wish more
than this,
O Lord,
my Lord?
-from Sitting by my laughing fire

I lay my "whys"
before Your Cross
in worship kneeling,
my mind too numb
for thought,
my heart beyond
all feeling;

and worshiping,
realize that I
in knowing You
don't need a "why."
-from Sitting by my laughing fire

"This goes also for those who doubt His sovereignty. Either He is sovereign or He is not. If He is not sovereign, He is not God. Therefore, when we become so preoccupied with and dismayed by circumstances and certain people that we doubt God's ability to handle things His own way in His own time, then we, too, are fools."
-Note on Psalm 14:1, July 1, 1965 (from "Prodigals and Those Who Love Them")

THE POSSIBLE AND THE IMPOSSIBLE
We mothers must take care of the possible and trust God for the impossible. We are to love, affirm, encourage, teach, listen and care for the physical needs of the family.
We cannot convict of sin, create hunger and thirst after God, or convert. These are miracles, and miracles are not in our department.

My Part (the possible):
love - love expressed
to pray intelligently
logically
urgently
without ceasing
in faith
enjoy being a mother
provide a warm, happy home
minister to their physical
and emotional needs
as I am able

God's Part: (the impossible)
conviction of sin
creating a hunger and thirst for righteousness
conversion
bringing to the place of total commitment
showing us ourselves
as we really are
(without ever
discouraging us!)
continually filling us with
His Holy Spirit for
our sanctification
and His service
-from "Prodigals and Those Who Love Them"

Once when out of the country, I called home to check on Mother and Daddy. After I talked with Daddy a few minutes, he said, "Here - your mother wants to say something." Since Mother's speech was affected by a stroke a number of years ago, I wondered how she would do. She came on the line, her voice weak, her spirit indomitable. "I just wanted to hear your voice," she managed to say.

Any wife with a husband on a trip, any mother with a child away from home, knows the longing for a letter (even a card), a call...the sound of a loved voice. True, in prayer we are coming to Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is also our Father. He longs to hear from us, not just when we are asking for things, but also to tell Him we love Him and to talk over the happenings of the day - just to fellowship.
-from "Legacy of a Pack Rat"

Sitting down with them all, He told them not to blame the Jewish leaders, the Romans or anyone else for His crucifixion. He explained how ever since the Garden of Eden, God had tried to tell people He was going to send them a Savior.

And Jesus was that Savior.

God did not send Him to deliver them from unjust rulers, from illness or unpleasant situations. He was born to die, to die for the sins of mankind. Those who were sorry for their sins, even the worst of people, could be forgiven. And they once more would know the joy of companionship with God lost so long ago in Eden.

Through His death and resurrection, the baby born that night in Bethlehem had become Lord of all.

This is the real meaning of Christmas, the joy and glory of it!

__________

It was still dark when Zeb awoke the next morning. He wasn't even sure he had been asleep because his head was so full of all he had heard that wintry night. He lay thinking for a long time.

Climbing carefully down the steps from the high bed, he hopped over to the window and pulled back the curtain. One bright star was twinkling in the sky.

It was dawn.

-from "One Wintry Night"

* * * * * *

On the Billy Graham website, there is a page for the dedication of the Billy Graham Library. On that page, there is a highlights video. It is a moving collection of speakers, including three past presidents, Franklin Graham, prayer warriors Dr. Ross Rhoads and Rev. Sami Dagher. But it is the words of Billy Graham himself, towards the end of the video, that are so hauntingly beautiful - as he speaks forcefully and lovingly (just days before her death) of the woman God called to be by his side for all these years.

On the Memorial page for Ruth Graham, there is a place for "Your Thoughts." I am honored that my words are, for now at least, the first on that page. I wrote this:

“I cannot fathom a world in which she is not present. I have been comforted, inspired, and helped over the years by her passion for the lost (around the world, and especially for China); her dignity and grace as a wife and mother in the spotlight; and her ongoing legacy of books and poetry. One Wintry Night remains a treasured volume in our home. Sitting by my Laughing Fire and Legacy of a Pack Rat have moved me, challenged me, and brought me laughter and tears. I feel as though I’ve lost a friend. I am praying for Billy and the entire family. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
—Donna-Jean

Revelation 14:13
"Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them."

Thank you, Lord, for these works of your servant, Ruth. Continue to challenge, inspire, and comfort us through them, to live - as she did - wholly for You. And oh, Lord, give peace to Billy and her family - until that day when we all see one another - and You - face to face.