Tag Archives: jesus

The View from Here

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by Rebecca D. Higgins

After the lockdowns of Covid, a very different work opportunity from what I had done in the past opened up as families chose to keep their elderly loved ones at home and needed help to care for them. It has been my privilege to provide dignity and compassionate care for a number of individuals suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s, debilitative illnesses, and even a stroke survivor. Several I have had the honor to help “walk them home” and make their final days here on earth as comfortable as possible. Duane was one of those precious individuals who suffered from the effects of Alzheimer’s. I was amazed, however, at how insightful he sometimes was even then. He was a gentleman and the epitome of kindness. His love for the Lord shone through even to the very end.

Duane’s favorite place to be was sitting on the front porch, and I enjoyed many hours with him there. Sometimes he would nap a bit, and at other times he would look around with a smile and sense of wonder on his face as he took in the beauty of the varied colors of leaves, the butterflies and birds flitting by, the deer and turkeys that wandered across the yard, and the play of sunlight across the lawn as it filtered through the trees. “This is it!” he would declare as he waved his arms to take in the scene. “It’s beautiful! God did all this!” And I would agree! I often felt, however, as we sat on the porch that what Duane saw went beyond the yard to the beauty that is to come.

When we would make trips into town for various appointments, along the way Duane would frequently get confused as to where he was; but the minute we turned into the winding lane and he saw the house with the front porch through the trees, he had instant recognition. He was home!

On a rainy Sunday night in August 2024, as Duane was making his final journey, I believe he looked up and saw the Father come out onto the front porch of heaven to welcome him, and he had no question as to where he was! He was finally HOME!

I know that we use earthly metaphors to describe heaven because it goes beyond what our finite minds can begin to comprehend or imagine. I think that’s okay since Jesus himself used the metaphor of a house with many rooms, and somehow I think there just might be a front porch!

When Duane and I would sit on the front porch, his dog was also our companion. While I have several precious photos of Duane enjoying the view from here, out of respect for his privacy, I chose not to use one of them in this public forum. Instead, I snapped this photo of Duane’s dog sitting in his front porch chair the day after Duane was welcomed into his eternal home.

After Duane’s passing, I couldn’t help thinking about what he was experiencing and what he might tell those who mourned his absence. The following poem is the result:

The View from Here

If you could see what I see now,
You’d look upon His face;
You’d bow your knees in gratitude
For mercy and for grace;
You’d marvel at the beauty that
Is far beyond compare–
The Tree of Life, the crystal sea,
The saints all gathered there.
You’d stand with me and sing His praise
Forever without end
For Christ who gave His life to be
Our Savior and our Friend,
So whosoever will may come
By faith to enter in
The home prepared by God himself
Who’s cleansed us from all sin.
If I could make just one more wish,
I’d wipe away your tear
And bring you home to heaven’s porch
To see the view from here.
(RDH–August 23, 2024)

Christmas Memories: In the Spotlight

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by Rebecca D. Higgins

I didn’t feel very angelic standing there on a bale of straw dressed in my white socks and white “angel” robe. It would have been bad enough just standing on that ridiculous bale for an hour and a half; but to top it off, I had just been sick for a week and still felt light-headed and weak.

It was 1980, the night of our Christmas cantata at the Christian high school where I attended. Someone had come up with the idea that it would be a wonderful addition to have a live mini nativity scene at one side of the platform. Charlene and Greg would be Mary and Joseph since they were singing those solos. Since I had a two-line solo of the angel’s message to Mary, I automatically became the angel that would hover in the background.

Some of the guys had created a very stable-like atmosphere for our backdrop using rough boards for the walls. They had scattered loose straw on the ground, and several bales leaned against the walls. . . and, of course, there was the bale on which I was standing. Straw bales aren’t exactly the Rock of Gibralter as far as stability goes. When you’re still a bit woozy in the wake of the flu, they feel a little like standing on a very sloshy waterbed!

Added to these inconveniences and discomforts was a spotlight. No, it wasn’t supposed to be on me. It was supposed to be on the star above my head, but unfortunately, we didn’t have the blessing of lighting technicians or moving spotlights. We had to make do with a bulb–what seemed to me to be a very high-wattage, very bright bulb like the ones they use for outdoor spotlighting of church steeples or flags at night. We, however, were using it indoors in a very small space. It was impossible to get the spotlight to illuminate just the star, so I was included in its brightness. If I hadn’t been allowed to hold my black choir music folder, I’m convinced that I would have been permanently blinded! Besides emitting high-powered brightness, that spotlight also put out a lot of heat. It must have been a hundred degrees or more (at least it felt like it) standing there with sweat dripping down my face. What a dilemma! Should I take the flowing sleeve of my angel robe and wipe my forehead? Angels aren’t supposed to sweat, are they? Halfway through the cantata my only thought was “Lord, help me not to pass out!” He heard my silent cry, because I did manage to live through the evening and not fall off of that wobbly bale of straw into a crumpled pile. As soon as the “Amen” of the benediction was spoken, I made a beeline for the nearest chair and collapsed.

But the real problem that night was that the spotlight wasn’t supposed to be on me at all. It was in the wrong place.

Sadly, that is the same problem that occurs over and over again when Christmas rolls around. Our spotlights fall on all of the activities and parties, the busyness, the to-do-lists, the shopping lists. . . and yes, the lists could go on. . . rather than Christ himself. The focal point of Christmas isn’t about us, our wants, our plans, or our traditions. The spotlight isn’t even on the angels or shepherds or wise men who came bearing gifts, but the Light of Christmas is Jesus–the greatest Gift the world has ever known! So, this Christmas perhaps we need to do a lighting check to make sure that our spotlights are trained not on all of the peripheral trappings of the holiday but so that they shine on the real Star of Christmas–JESUS!