Seeing the goodness of The lord in the land of the living

My eldest brother Bill, (William David Holt) was born at Nyah West Victoria on the 21st of January 1922. Except for a stint in the AIF, (1941-1946) during WW2, he spent his life on a farm. It was very sad for us all when this farm life came to an end in about 1988 when he suffered a severe stroke. For the next 9 years until his death in 1997 he was confined to a wheel chair and hospital, unable to walk or even speak.
Bill was firstly an Evangelical Christian who loved The Lord.
Secondly he was a loving husband to Audrey, and loving father to his six children.
Thirdly, he was a very good farmer who loved the land, the sheep and the cattle, his dogs and even the pigs.
The stroke that he suffered and the results of it were hard for the family to come to terms with, but Bill, (and Audrey) had taught them all well that Christians do not grieve as those who have no hope. 1 Thess 4:13 .


Well, there's been a lot of water gone under the bridge since the photo below was taken. Audrey has grown old gracefully and all the children have grown up.
The oldest boy, David, must have been somewhere else on this occasion.




Now, of course, the family is much larger, as there are sons and daughters in law and the resulting Grandchildren. On Sunday afternoon we were privileged to be amongst them as they gathered at Robin and Roger's place to celebrate the homecoming of one of the Grandchildren.





Of course, as one does on such an occasion as this, I found myself thinking,"Wouldn't it be great if Bill was here to see this".
The the reality dawns on me that he is probably saying, "Wouldn't it be great if they were all here to see this"!
What is good to see is that there are more than one or two pianists in the family.
Below, Amy, is seated at the piano, and she's pretty good!
I remember the end of the film, Dr Zhivago the great movie from 1965, when an Uncle (Alec Guiness) asked the Doctor Zhivago's daughter if she played the mandolin or Balilika she was carrying.
The young man with her replied with words to the effect, "yes she does, and she's brilliant" The General (Uncle) cried out as they left, "It's a gift". A great moment!


My mother, "Elfie" who died in 1937 when I was just 6 years of age was a great pianist, and again I found myself thinking, "Wouldn't my mother love to be here"?
I would probably be closer to the mark if I said, "Wouldn't I like my mother to be here to see and hear this"!

What makes this family, your family, so special you may well ask.
I realise that every family has hopes, dreams, pleasure, poignancy. Every family has its stories, its dreams. What makes all the difference is whether the family has hope, and the only one I know who gives real hope is the Lord Jesus Christ.
I read many years ago that Winston Churchill sought out the then young Billy Graham. He asked Billy Graham, "Young man, do you see any hope"?
Billy Graham was able to tell him that the only hope is in Jesus Christ.
I read just this last week, that as Winston Churchill lay dying, he said,"There is no hope"! how sad.
What we all need to do, and can do, is to ask for and receive God's forgiveness for our sin and unbelief, and then commit our life to Him in trust.
You will then have eternal life granted to you, and you will be able to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.