Wednesday, I traveled to Greenville, NC, going the long way to avoid many areas still flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. I made the trip to be with my Cousin Greg and offer my tribute to a truly great Christian lady, my Aunt Aleathea Hester.
A Second Home
 |
| Cousin Greg |
As Greg and I
were talking by phone, he said, “Ronald,
you and I grew up almost like brothers.”
That was certainly true. Almost
the same age and interested in many of the same things, I spent many a day and
night at Uncle Bill, Aunt Aleathea and Cousin Greg’s house. He spent some time at my home too. What I remember about those many visits was
the wonderful hospitality I experienced every time I was in their home. I was welcomed. I was cared for. I was cherished as part of their family.
I felt as much at
home with them as I did anywhere on earth.
And a great part of that was my Aunt Aleathea. Her heart and her home were always opened to
me. She always made me feel welcomed and
special. And that never changed. Through the years, after the Hesters moved
from Greenville, SC to Greenville, NC, every time I was able to visit and be in
her presence, I always felt special, I always felt her love, I was always at
home.
As I became an
adult and began to see my family with more mature eyes, I received another
precious gift from Aleathea,
An Example of Devotion
My Uncle Bill was
a strong man and a hard worker. You
could always count on him to do what he promised and to do things right. But in the later years of his life, his
health weakened and he faced much pain and many physical problems. He suffered with terrible back pain that no
surgery or treatment could totally relieve.
As part of his Hester inheritance, he was prone to skin cancer and
needed multiple surgeries to keep that disease at bay. Hurting as much as he did for as long as he
did, let’s say my Uncle Bill was never nominated for Patient of the Year. But through all of his trials, my Aunt
Aleathea was there for him, there with him, there supporting and loving him
every step of the way.
She was the same
if Bill was having a good day or a very hard day. She had that inner strength that kept her
constant in her love for him, her devotion to him, and her encouragement that
he could overcome his problems and tomorrow could be better than today. She brought to life the words of Paul when he
wrote,
Love is patient. Love is kind.
Love always believes, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
In a world where
so many people measure their lives by convenience and personal space, my Aunt
Aleathea gave us a beautiful picture of self-giving devotion and a Christian
commitment to marriage. We honor her for
that today.
These are
precious gifts, but the one I treasure most is…
A Story of Saving Love
For
most of my life, I had known that Aleathea had a bad back. People would ask her about it from time to
time. She might mention it when it was
particularly painful. From my childish
perspective, I just figured that it was one of those things which happens to
old people when they hit their thirties.
I was sorry that she hurt, but my understanding of her pain went no
further than that.
Years later, when I was visiting my
aunt and uncle, the subject of her back came up again. But this time, as she told me of her
discomfort, she asked me a question, "Do you know what happened to my
back?" I seemed to remember
that she had fallen or something, but this was not enough. If I were to understand what her suffering
was all about, there was something more I needed to know.
Aleathea realized that I was old
enough to hear the whole truth about her pain, so she sat me down and told me this
story. When I was just an infant, she
came to my home for a visit. She had me
in her arms as they walked out of our back door. Suddenly, her feet slipped out from under
her. There was no time for thought. There was no time for anyone else to help. All that she could do was react. Her love for me and her desire to protect my
young life caused her to hold me up above her as she fell. She kept her body between me and danger while
her back crashed down five concrete stairs to the bottom. Her back was permanently injured, but I was
safe and sound.
I sat and listened to that story in
amazement. I felt a great gratitude for
what she had done and had a deeper love for her because now I understood the
purpose of her pain. What had happened to her had happened for me.
The love Aleathea expressed that day
has become for me a powerful picture of the love Jesus has for each of us, the
love that led Him to the cross.
Jesus bore the penalty of our
sin. Isaiah was given a glimpse of the
meaning of the Savior’s suffering when he wrote,
(Isaiah
53:5a)But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities...
Just as my aunt placed her body
between me and the destructive force of falling down concrete stairs, Jesus
placed himself between us and the penalty of our sin. He was pierced by the pain of sin that would
have stabbed my soul. He was crushed by
the consequences of my sin which would have crushed me for time and for
eternity. He bore the penalty of my
sin. Jesus lifted us up that we might
live. Isaiah continues,
(Isaiah
53:5a)...the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds
we are healed.
Just as my aunt held me up that I
might be kept alive and whole, Jesus suffered and died upon the cross in order
that, through faith in him, you and I might be lifted up, to live in peace with
God, to be made whole.
My Aunt Aleathea is in heaven right now,
I truly believe, because she placed her faith in Jesus Christ, the one who
lifted her up to give her eternal life.
Where
is Aleathea Hester? She’s not in this
cemetery. She’s gone home. And she’s alive in hearts like mine she
blessed with precious gifts of love.