12/06/2012

In the Cemetery


I'm not sure what it says about me that it was today's visit to the graveyard that inspired me to come back to blogging.




My grandmother, whose name I was given, is buried here. She was saved at nineteen. She passed into eternity when she was sixty-five. 



She is buried alongside her beloved husband, my grandfather. I spoke about him in this post. Go and have a read of it.



The verse, in Gaelic, reads:
"Aig Dia 's ro phrìseil bàs a naomh."

Taken from Psalm 116 verse 16, it translates, 'Precious in the sight of God is the death of his saints'.

You can also see on this gravestone that my grandparents lost a son, aged eleven weeks. My mum says that my grandmother never got over this loss. 

How could she? 

He died of pneumonia, a cause of death all too common in the days in which he was an infant. How blessed we are to live in the days of readily available antibiotics. 



Behind their headstone, you can see a grey slate one.



It reads:

"Arise my love, my fair one, and come with me."

These words, from Song of Solomon 2 v13, are the words of Christ, and He is speaking to His beloved people. 

The text of Scripture at the bottom says, "Oir tha fhios agam gu bheil m' fhear-saoraidh beò". 

"For I know that my Redeemer liveth" Job 19v25

And the name on it? Rev Jack Morrison - my grandmother's brother - who passed into glory only nine years ago, only months before his wife also passed to be with her Saviour.

One day, they will rise again. My grandmother will rise again, and just behind her grave, her brother will rise again. They will be resurrected right beside each other, but I believe they will have eyes only for Christ. He will come in all His glory. They will be in possession of their glorified bodies, and their eyes will turn upwards to behold their Beloved.

Oh, to be sure, they will have fellowship with each other in eternity. Surely they will speak of times when, on earth, they spoke of their precious Redeemer. But on that glorious day of the resurrection, I believe it will be 'Christ only'.



And this I found thought-provoking. The cow, oblivious to life and death, and joy and sadness, and beauty and wonder. She simply eats and drinks, and then she'll die.  No soul. No appreciation of the world around her. No praising for the beauty which surrounds her. No thanksgiving for the daily provision of food.

No soul. No Saviour. No need of a Saviour.

Unlike every person who reads this. Christ, the Redeemer, is the greatest need we have.

And He is the greatest joy and the greatest treasure we could ever possess.






19 comments:

  1. So very true and beautiful. Thank you for coming back even for a brief and meaningful post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Rachel :) I'm going to try and get the blog sorted a bit, and then I may get fully into the swing of things again :)

      Delete
  2. Oh, you brought tears to my eyes. WHAT A PRECIOUS GIFT, FREE FOR ALL WHO ASK AND RECEIVE. . . SALVATION. ETERNITY WITH A SAVIOR. I am so thankful that I belong to Him. One day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. Hallelujah. What a promise!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really needed this today....thank you so much. Welcome back.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really needed this today....thank you so much. Welcome back.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such wonderful texts on the headstones. Good to think of our eternal hope.

    Your Grandmother died on the day that I was born. "In the midst of life we are in death".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Sarah, that's amazing. Yes, as one generation goes, another is born. I always find it does me good to visit the graveyard, and it's always very poignant for me to visit my dear grandparents' grave.

      Delete
  6. Ah, but Scripture isn't mute on animals being in heaven. The Bible speaks of horses and other animals in heaven and I believe my pets will be in heaven with me. Or, in the case of those already dead, they are there, waiting with Dave, my husband, who died last year.
    Psalm 116 is my favorite Psalm, it always bring comfort.

    ReplyDelete
  7. So nice to see you back. I have missed you. This is a thoughtful post. I am looking forward to the day when we are in heaven with Jesus, what a beautiful day that will be. Gravestones are testimonies even after death aren't they. Your pictures are beautiful. Are you back to stay? That would be nice.

    Love and Blessings,
    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love this! I really do enjoy wandering in the cemetaries and reading the bible verses on the headstones, also. Thank you so much for always being such a wonderful witness and reminding us all just how short our time is here and what a wonderful place we are headed for. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Amen!

    Lovely pictures and helpful words. Thanks!
    bwsmith

    ReplyDelete
  10. That is an absoltely beautiful cemetery. The headstones are just beautiful.

    I would have to disagree politely about animals having no soul. I can't speak for cows, but after riding racehorses for years and looking into their eyes, they have a soul that is more profound than many humans I have met. They might not be able to articulate it to us, but their soul is there, strong and true.

    Also, last year when my little beloved dog was taking his last breaths on this earth after being mauled by a Mastiff, he looked at me and his eyes told me he knew what was happening and thanked me for the 5 years that he had been well loved by our family. He had a soul and it was pure love.

    My last point would be, what about a person who is born blind, deaf and mute. They can't see the beauty that surrounds them, hear the magic of a wonderful sermon, or speak lovingly about their savior. Do they not have a soul?

    I hope I was not disrespectful because your posts are wonderful and make me think deeply.



    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautiful post! Tahnk you so much! The gravestones in Scotland are so meaningful with the Scriptures on them, and it is really special to have the verses in Gaelic.

    Though our animals may not fully appreciate the glory of the God who made them, they are a great testimony to His wisdom and power, and thus we are able to glorify God as we observe them. (as per the latter chapters of Job). I sure do love my animals, and I know God cares about His creation and will do His perfect will concerning it, but I would agree that only humans are created in His image, with an eternal soul, and can fully appreciate and have a relationship with Christ, who saves us by grace through faith in His blood.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anne,
    That is so beautiful. Nostalgic for me too, when I remember so many others there whose Christian walk left a deep impression on our lives.
    Please keep blogging. How else are we poor expats. going to keep up with life at home if you give up logging:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Amen. Thanks for that perspective today, Anne. What a blessing it is to have those saints before us! and to be certain of their future!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hehehehe...I just looked at your post date, and realize I'm a bit behind! At any rate, I appreciate the words. Have a glorious day!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails