Remembering Margaret Mary Johnston McGowen

Remembering

 

Today I remembering that on this day, in 2001 (4/26/2001) Margaret Mary Johnston McGowen graduated to GLORY. She did not fear death, but each one of us gathered around, as her children, grandchildren and other family members. And we sang hymns with her until she could not sing until her final breath. Once she graduated, I had the absolute privilege of committing her Spirit to her loving Creator and our God.

 

I am so grateful for the values that she and Charlie Morrison McGowen taught and lived: If you believe in Jesus the Son of God, and follow him, if you deny yourself take up THE CROSS and follow him, then you need not fear the grave. Thanks be to God! I am Praying today for all who read this to believe in Jesus and Follow him...especially praying for all the grandchildren and great grandchildren to embrace these truths. She loves each one of you dearly. She would love to see you in Heaven.

 

We all will be at the place of transitioning to the next life sooner than we may realize. Time will indeed keep marching into the future. We ALL WILL stand before our Creator one day... ready or not ready. Why not stand before HIM with clean hands, a clean heart and a Spirit that has been made ready for eternity?

 

Shortly before my mother graduated, I asked her, " Are you afraid to die?" And she said, "No I'm just sorry you all will have to grieve." She was not afraid to die because she knew she was going home to her heavenly Father because of Jesus who is His Son, and she was being accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit and God's Holy Angels.

It’s not as though they were by any means perfect.  Like every one of we mere human beings, they were wounded by the weaponry of the evil one … by Sin.  And as such they were, as are we, infected with the sin nature’s character flaws. This wounded them, and I am fairly sure that as, mere human beings, they wounded others; however, where it counted they became.

For example, they discovered the mystery made clear to those would seek it. They discovered that in knowing Jesus, and in making him Lord of their lives, something happened to them.  Not only did it prepare them for Heaven and give them “fire insurance” so as not to wind up in Hell, they also learned the beauty of being made holy in the eyes of God, once they placed their faith in Jesus. They learned about and experienced the power of  the transfomred human life so as to overcome all brokenness and sin.  And they learned what it meant to be forgiven and to forgive.  Powerful stuff.

Passing this along to their children - and hopefully grandchildren & great grandchildren - was important to them.  Some of us got it.  Some of us are getting it.  And some are need of discovering this miraculous miracle of God’s love, mercy, grace, forgiveness and salvation.

 

I look forward to the day when we will see Jesus and all our loved ones who have gone on ahead of us. Like my Mother and Dad, I look forward to that place not made by human hands...that place whose builder and maker is GOD!  Believe in Jesus Today. Follow him today. Allow him, by the power of THE HOLY SPIRIT, to genuinely give you eternal life (a life shared with God today and everyday.) Do this so that one day HE will welcome you home, and

 say to you, "Well done..."

 

SoJourner