Raynee had not spoken to her parents in five years. After a terrible fight, anger fueled their long separation. But when both parents became terminally ill, with no one to care for them, Raynee was forced to tend to their physical needs. Together with Christ, forgiveness and love, something Raynee calls "the unbeatable trio," God performed an amazing work—a complete reconciliation in each of their hearts.
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Raynee's Unbeatable Trio
You know, I realize that Jesus doesn't make terrible things happen, but he does allow difficult times for a reason. A great example of this is what I just went through with my parents. I'd like to share it with you.The last two years have been a horrible time of pain—a time of a falling away from God and a time of renewal—for myself, my husband, my children and my parents.
Prior to this, I had not spoken to my parents for over five years due to a very wicked argument. But suddenly both parents were terminally ill, and there was nobody willing to take care of them in their final days. My oldest brother took care of their finances, thank God, because I'm terrible with money! He did his work well and my parents would have been proud of him.
Anyway, I took on their health care needs. It was a difficult decision at best. In no way do I mean to sound like a martyr, because I took on the task with great trepidation. I knew it was not going to be easy for me, and especially for my husband and children. And I was mad over it!
For two years we watched my parents die slowly, and a very strange thing began to happen. The anger I had began to melt away. When I felt angry at them, it was a comfortable place to be. I had always wanted them to suffer someday for the injustices they had done to me and my family. Up until this point, it had made me numb to the pain and sorrow of not seeing my parents. It justified everything!
Christ, Forgiveness and Love
Now, however, something was different, and I was confused! I didn't know it was forgiveness at work. One of the strongest enemies of the devil, next to Christ himself, is forgiveness. Christ, forgiveness and love—they walk hand in hand. I call them "the unbeatable trio."As time passed, my husband and I began to pray with Mom and Dad. We brought them pies and their favorite Burger King milk shakes and Hawaiian foods. Every Monday night my husband would go sit by my father's bed and watch football with him (not that Dad was really interested in the game anymore). I think he just enjoyed Mike being there and talking with him.
Still, at times it was a very difficult situation. I would get consumed with guilt for not speaking to them for so long. I would cry out to God, "Now, when they are dying, here I am taking care of their most private needs and watching them suffer so horribly. I'm too late. I'm a terrible person and I'm being punished. How can I ever go to heaven? God could never love me!"
As a matter of fact, I was pretty angry at God for all that was happening. I was angry for being put in this position! Pretty selfish, huh? After all, it was my parents who were in a rotten position. My father, always a hard working man, had been given the nick name "Dirty Ernie," because of his work ethic. He was never afraid to get down in the dirt. He had been a man of great energy. But now he desperately worked for every breath he took, as emphysema ate away at his lungs.
Then there was my mother—a woman who, by her very nature, loved to talk. And she did it so well, and so loud! She also could out walk and out run us kids, when we were supposed to be faster than her! Now each day she lost her ability to move and speak, or feed herself, until finally she was trapped in a body that no longer would work. All she could do was stare out from her frozen body. A nurse would turn her every hour to keep her body from bed sores, or I would massage her feet and neck as they grew stiff from the ravages of Parkinson's disease.
Go to Page 2 of Raynee's Unbeatable Trio
