Nearing Home by Billy Graham (best book club books for discussion txt) 📗

apart for long periods of time over the span of six decades because of my intensive preaching schedule, I never contemplated living without Ruth. Throughout our marriage the telephone was about the only thing that came between us, and I was always grateful to hear her voice. Now to be without her in our home at Little Piney Cove would be more than I could bear if it were not for the fact that she left so much of herself behind. She oversaw the construction of our log house more than fifty years ago, and to this day, touches of Ruth are in every room. Missing her the past four years has taught me things I would have never learned, many from Ruth even in her absence. And because she wrote from the depths of her soul with strokes of her winsome personality, she still makes me smile.

This old house is empty now,

with mostly only me,

the trees are crowding up the hill

as if for company.1

This reflected her thoughts after all the children were gone, what is now called empty-nest syndrome. Ruth simply called it what it was: then and now. I watched how she transitioned from one stage of life to another with grace.

God designs transitions and provides the grace to embrace what follows. When Jesus prepared to leave His earthly dwelling to return to Glory, He told His beloved disciples, “I am going away. . . . If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father’” (John 14:28 NKJV). “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 NKJV). And Jesus instructed them, giving them work to do: “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17), “Follow me” (John 21:19), and “Be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). He didn’t just abandon His disciples; Jesus guided them toward the work they needed to do for the Kingdom so the church would not suffer and the disciples themselves would remain focused on Jesus’ work even after He returned to the Father. How wonderful that the Lord did not leave the world void of His presence but sent His Holy Spirit to be our constant companion.

While I will never grow accustomed to life without Ruth, she would be the first to scold me if I didn’t look for God’s plan for the here and now. This was her realm. It would be easy to sit and reminisce about all that was accomplished during the years of public ministry. I am grateful, for I know that “such mighty works are performed by His hands” (Mark 6:2 NKJV). But I also know that God has a purpose in everything, and He will guide us into whatever He has for us if our hearts, minds, and eyes are watching and waiting attentively.

In all my years traveling from coast to coast, from country to country, I seldom had time to watch television. That was then. Now my eyesight is failing, and watching television is difficult. Getting to church is not easy either. So I am thankful for those who faithfully preach the Word of God on television, where I can at least hear a good sermon from Scripture. I have been personally blessed by those the Lord is using to minister to the elderly who are no longer able to attend church.

I began listening to a telecast from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Dr. Don Wilton, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, began ministering to my heart through his messages, and I found myself looking forward to the next Sunday’s program. Some months later, I called to thank him for his ministry and invited him to my home. We enjoyed wonderful fellowship together. Since that time, he has graciously driven ninety miles from Spartanburg for a visit every week. We have lunch together and discuss everything from family to world events. But the most meaningful part of our visits is when we look into the Scriptures together and spend time in prayer. Often he shares a sermon outline he is working on and with enthusiasm asks for my thoughts. There have been times I have asked for his assistance with thoughts on various passages as I prepare statements and brief talks. It is a great privilege for me to have fellowship with a great teacher of Scripture and to feel a unity of purpose and desire to see others come to Christ. This is the work God has for all of His people—now.

DON’T LIVE WITHOUT HOPE

We were not meant for this world alone. We were meant for Heaven, our final home. Heaven is our destiny, and Heaven is our joyous hope. In reality not everyone agrees with this. “You are free to have your own opinion,” a young man wrote me recently, “but as far as I’m concerned once you are dead, that’s it. When we die we’re no different from an animal lying by the side of the road. The only life we’ll ever experience is the one we’re living right now. Life after death is just a myth.”

My reply came from the bottom of my heart. “Your letter deeply saddened me,” I wrote, “because it means you are living without hope—hope for this life, and hope for the life to come. Have you honestly faced how empty and meaningless this will make your life?” I then urged him to turn to Jesus Christ and put his life into His hands, for He alone can give us hope for the future. What would our lives be like without any hope of life beyond the grave?

Death is a reality, but death was not part of God’s original plan. When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them physical bodies, just like every other creature on earth. But one thing made them different: God not only gave them a body, but He also implanted within them a soul, a spirit, made in His image. He did this so they