Fair to Midland?

My aunt was dying. One day, I was visiting with her in the hospital when the occupational therapist smiled and asked her, “How are you today?” My aunt cracked a smile and said, “Oh, fair to midland”.  I remember my grandfather used to say that. I couldn’t believe it. Here she was in the hospital-cancer lining her left lung and a tumor the size of a grapefruit on/in her liver-and she said she was doing “fair to midland”? A nurse for 34 years, her cognitive function had now been compromised by a stroke just a few months earlier.  She was not doing well at all.  It hurt so deeply to see her this way, but at the same time, I witnessed something amazing.

My aunt was living out the very words of the Apostle Paul who said, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”  (Romans 8:18, KJV) What does that mean? Let me give you an example. My 3-year old son has become quite the runner. There are times when I have a little difficulty catching up with him and I used to be a sprinter! He’s pretty fast, but if I were to stage a 100m dash race between him and Usain Bolt, no spectators would come. As a matter of fact, Mr. Bolt would not show up because he knows that there would be no comparison. The gap between my son and Mr. Bolt would be so large, it would be crazy! My aunt knew that despite severely labored breathing, her extreme pain that required the likes of Oxycodone and Fentanyl to subdue, and her debilitated cognitive function, she would soon see her Savior face-to-face.  None of this (pain and sickness) would matter anymore as she would be free from it and the glory she would experience when she walked out of this life and into the next would be something she could have never imagined!

How is that possible? In her thirties, she acknowledged her sinfulness and repented (turned away) of her sins. By placing her trust in Jesus Christ, she received remission of her sins.  And therefore, she not only had a close relationship with her Savior here on earth which produced this peace of mind, but it also secured her a place in Heaven where the absolutely worst thing you can possibly think of on this earth does not compare its glory.

My aunt passed away four days later. Oh, how I miss her, but I can only imagine what she is experiencing now. Needless to say, she’s doing better than “fair to midland”. As my 8-year old daughter put it, “She’s in Heaven with Jesus and eatin’ macaroni and cheese”. What could be better than that?