It’s one of my favorite memories.
My dad, who had become a believer three years earlier, had passed away unexpectedly, and my mom called to tell me. Mom, who was not a believer at the time, said to me, “But Chuck, let me tell you this: when your dad died, I saw a peace in his face like I had never seen.” My mom would not forget that look.
Years later – 11 years later, in fact – my mom became a believer, too. She surprisingly had turned to the Lord, and we were all amazed at her conversion. In fact, we quietly wondered if it were genuine. We knew how real it was, though, when she called me one day and said to me, “Chuck, do you remember when I told you about the peace I saw in your dad‘s face when he died?” I told her, “Yeah mom, I do remember. Why are you thinking about that today?”
And here’s what she told me: “I’m thinking about that today because now when I look in the mirror, I can see that same peace in my face.”
My mom, who had been quite an athlete, who rode a Harley until she was in her 60s, who was fiercely independent, and who struggled to believe God could ever forgive her for her sins, saw peace she never thought she could experience.
“I can see that same peace in my face.”
What can I add to those words? That’s just what the transforming gospel does!
Amen.
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I think about those words today because we’re about three weeks away from the fourth anniversary of my mom’s conversion and subsequent baptism. If you want to read more about those great days, check out these posts:
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