Is Jesus Enough for Me?

   We lost a dear friend recently, my sister Jan’s mother-in law. This was not unexpected because she was ninety-seven years old and her health had started to fail a few weeks earlier. Imagine, good health all the way to ninety-seven!

   Aldeen lived in the same retirement home in Bakersfield as our mom for several years. We saw her there occasionally when visiting mom and at many special family occasions. Whenever I asked her how she was, Aldeen would always smile and softly say “Fine.”

   Al and I had planned on driving to Shafter for the funeral service; however he came down with a bad head cold and decided to stay home that day. I went alone, wanting to support Aldeen’s family. It was a little unnerving because I wasn’t sure of the way to the Shafter cemetery and wanted to be there on time.

   The GPS on our cell phone guided me there verbally without any glitches. When it instructed me to turn left onto a street which looked like a deserted country road, I blindly followed the reassuring voice coming over the cell phone, trying not to worry. After going a short distance, making another left turn and crossing the railroad tracks, I arrived. Whew!

    It was a beautiful, cool morning as family, neighbors and friends of Aldeen gathered for the service. The minister of the church to which she had belonged most of her life read portions of scripture from the twenty-third and one-hundredth psalms.  It was a message filled with hope, giving us the assurance that Aldeen walked with the Lord throughout her life, that she belonged to Him and was with Him in heaven.

    Suddenly, we were startled by the loud blast of train whistle and roar of a freight train barreling down the track.  The tranquility of our surroundings was restored after a few unsettling moments, as he calmly finished his message and then gave directions to the church for the celebration of life service.

    I thought it would be easy to follow the line of cars straight to Aldeen’s church, but got stuck behind a very slow moving truck, heavily laden with carpets. The much appreciated GPS came to the rescue again, directing me to the church which was only a couple of blocks away.

     There was a wonderful turnout of people for that service, three full rows of her family and many of her friends from Bakersfield, as well as from Shafter. We sang some of Aldeen’s favorite hymns, giving a real sense of the depth of her faith and love for her Lord. Her oldest son shared the story of her life, which was new to me. I was sorry that in all of the years I had known Aldeen, I never really sat down to hear about her past.

     The same minister drew from his knowledge of Aldeen as a member of his congregation, telling how she found contentment and satisfaction in life through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He concluded with the statement: “For Aldeen, Jesus was enough.” What a wonderful way to be remembered!

     After the reception which followed, I said good-bye to my immediate family members and relatives who were there and then headed for home. The minister’s statement stuck in my mind as a question…Is Jesus really enough for me? Do I trust Him through times of uncertainty, unexpected interruptions and through the many unknowns of life? When loved ones die? In all situations? May the answer be, “Yes! Jesus is enough!”

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty of in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4: 12-13 NIV  

(published in the Porterville Recorder Oct 2014)