Mrs. Mamie's Hope by Martin Wiles

The news came unexpectedly; “Mrs. Mamie’s dead. Can you come?” 

I hurriedly drove the two miles wondering what could have happened.

 "There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’" and one is the grave. (Proverbs 30:15-16, NIV)


Mrs. Mamie and her husband were elderly members of the church I was pastoring. They had no children, just nieces and nephews in the area. Mr. Henry was in his nineties and deaf but attended church every Sunday. Mrs. Mamie was more feeble.

I visited them monthly, and she was always ecstatic when I came. 

It disturbed her that the landscaping around the parsonage was in disrepair, so she donated money to have it landscaped. 

Our kids were small and she knew they enjoyed junk food like most kids. So every visit ended with her giving me some treats to take home. 

When I showed up at her home, neither the ambulance nor coroner had arrived. There she sat, slumped over in her favorite recliner with a peaceful smile on her face. She had lived well and died ready. 

One aspect of my profession is comforting those who are grieving. And the proverb rings true. The grave is never satisfied. It consumes thousands every day taking them from earth to eternity.

It’s easier to understand an elderly person dying than it is a child who dies because his mother is driving drunk or a young girl who is run over because a man didn’t see a stop sign. But the end result is the same-they are all captured by the grave. 

While entering the grave takes us into another dimension, the unknown becomes less frightening when we trust the One who has been there and returned, the One who said he was going to prepare a home for us and return to get us and take us to live with him eternally. Faith drives away fear.

Perhaps that’s why Mrs. Mamie had a smile on her face. Her body was still in the recliner but she was at another home.

When the fear of death overcomes us, remind us Lord that You have been victorious over it and that by faith in You we can be also.

Read Martin's bio on the Lead Writers' Page.  And read other great devotions by Martin and other writers on our Great Reads Page.