LIBBY'S HOMEGOING!--And a Lesson in Love and Call to Compassion!         Maria #226       DO 2936  9/94
By Maria

         (Liberty [Libby] was one of our first Eastern European disciples, who faithfully served the Lord with the Family for the past 20 years. Libby was born and raised in Yugoslavia, and at the age of 12 moved to Holland. At the age of 20 she dedicated her life to Jesus. She always expressed a deep love and concern to reach the people of Eastern Europe and Yugoslavia with the Gospel. She worked in Yugoslavia and other parts of Eastern Europe, as well as parts of the former Soviet Union.
         (On September 7, the Lord took her Home to be with Him. She had fallen ill with a prolonged migraine headache, accompanied by some periods of incoherence and personality changes. During this time she was under the care of a doctor, who she saw more than once in his office and also in a visit to her Home. However, upon the first visits, the doctor was not alarmed and dismissed her ailment as nothing serious. Two days before her death she again visited him, at which time he realized she was seriously ill and ordered blood tests and x-rays. The problem was later diagnosed as a brain hemorrhage, although the test results had not arrived by the time she died. She was found dead by her Home's members early one morning. We know she is now delivered from all her suffering, and has gone on to a glorious reward for her faithfulness to Jesus. Following is Mama's response to the news of Libby's graduation.)

         1. When I heard about Libby's Homegoing, I didn't cry; I was so glad to know that she was freed from the pain and weights of this world, and was now so happy in her wonderful Heavenly Home. But do you know when I did cry?--When I heard she had died alone and lonely and in pain, feeling misunderstood and misjudged. I felt so sad when I heard how our folks, as well meaning as they were, hadn't had compassion on her when she was sick, but instead belittled what she was going through and sort of chided her for being so weak, and had a rather self-righteous attitude toward her. And then she died.
         2. I suppose that's a lesson that those folks there will never forget. They said they were influenced by the doctor's diagnosis, where he generally took the attitude that there was nothing seriously wrong with her and that she should just get out of bed and start working and not let it become such a big deal.
         3. You know, I'd rather err on the side of being too lenient with people and even letting them get away with things than to be too hard on them and too critical and too self-righteous, possibly accusing them falsely and making the very difficult time they are already going through even harder by my criticism and my accusations that they are not doing enough or they are not working hard enough or they are not fighting hard enough.
         4. This message about Libby says: "I think we all got somewhat duped by the doctor's diagnosis that it was just a 'normal migraine headache' that she had to put up a little fight against in order to pull out of." I wonder if those who felt this way have ever experienced a so-called "normal migraine headache," let alone an abnormal migraine headache?
         5. I'll tell you, dear folks, when someone tells us they are sick, or starts acting that way, we'd better take it seriously. If you later find out they weren't sick after all and they were just using this as an excuse for getting out of something, that's their problem and the Lord will teach them their lessons in whatever loving way He knows is best. But at least you will have shown them love and consideration and compassion, even if they didn't deserve it. Isn't that what God does with us on a daily basis?--Continually showing unmerited mercy and love toward each of us, His undeserving and often wayward children. If every time we tried to get around the "rules" or tried to avoid doing His will He slapped us flat on our backs and lambasted and berated us for our failures, we couldn't have stood it. If God had thrown the whole weight of the law at us when we broke it, we wouldn't be around today.
         6. Don't you believe what God's Word says?--That love is the most important thing? If we have learned to pray, if we have learned to witness, if we have learned to organize a Home, but we have not learned to have love, it is a shame and a reproach to us!
         7. Don't worry about Libby now! Everything is wonderful for her! Praise the Lord! The Lord took her quickly and the excruciating physical pain that she felt is all gone now, and her "light affliction which was but for a moment" is forgotten and erased by the most beautiful experience imaginable, as she has inherited a "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2Cor.4:17). And the equally great pain that she felt at being misunderstood and misjudged by those of her Family, who should have been weeping with her, sleeping with her, waking with her and helping to bear her burdens with understanding and compassion is also all gone and forgiven and forgotten in the joy that she feels at being with Jesus in her Heavenly Home. She doesn't want to make her loved ones feel badly, but she hopes that through her experience, others can be spared unjust criticism, misunderstanding and misinterpretation.
         8. I don't think those who knew about Libby's situation in her last days need this chiding, I think they have already learned their lesson. And Jesus--and Libby--have forgiven them.
         9. But what about you? How often do you critically and self-righteously point a finger of condemnation at someone without knowing all the facts, or without stopping to "put yourself in their place," or "walk a mile in their shoes"? What if you knew that tomorrow would be their last day on Earth and they would leave this life with your condemning words ringing in their ears? You'd do all you could to be good to them, wouldn't you? Or what if you knew that tomorrow would be their last day in the Family and they'd leave with your unloving behavior etched vividly in their minds? You wouldn't let that happen, would you? In both cases, your unloving attitude would be just as stinging and hurtful--except that the effects of the one would have lasted for only a short time until the Lord wipes all the tears away!--While the effects of the other would remain to haunt them, the memory of how their loved ones failed them when they needed their support the most. Only God knows how responsible you may have been and how great an influence your unloving attitudes had on their leaving the Lord's work.
         10. This lesson is not for any of our folks who made mistakes in their attitude toward Libby. They don't need this. I'm sure they have learned their lesson, they have been forgiven, and for their sakes, I wish I didn't have to bring it up. I feel very bad having to add to their sorrow by this public highlighting of this situation. I love these dear ones and I would not want to do anything to hurt them.
         11. However, in order to teach all of you others a lesson, and to perhaps save you from having to learn it by your own sad experience, we are allowing you to learn through the sad experiences of these. Therefore, "throwing stones" should be the last thing you do, and pointing the finger of condemnation should be the furthest thing from your mind. Instead, you should thank these folks for learning this lesson so that you may learn it, too. And you should pray for any who misjudged Libby--that they will be freed from their pain and their condemnation, and that out of this breaking and the ashes of failure, the beautiful lilies will grow, and they will be strengthened to serve in love and newness of life.
         12. Pray also for yourselves who have often been just as guilty, but without seeing so clearly the fruit. Weep for your lack of love, often displayed in criticism, impatience, condemnation, coldness, lack of understanding or selfishness. Pray that God will forgive us and heal our land! And that Libby will not have died in vain. And that these precious ones will not have suffered needlessly by this public sample.
         13. And lest you self-righteously point the finger at these folks in disapproval, thinking, "How could they be that way?" think of the times you've been less than loving yourself! Think of the times you've been harsh with people, unjustly accused them, criticized them, bawled them out and left them in a pool of tears. Would you have acted differently if you had known that they would not be with you the next day? And how about those you treated with a lack of concern and lack of understanding, those who did die the next day?--Died in hope, died in faith and left our fellowship because they felt that love was gone.
         14. Will you commit yourself right now to make a sincere and wholehearted effort to love others as Jesus has loved you, to love them because "the love of Christ constraineth you" (2Cor. 5:14), to let Jesus shine through you to show each member of your Family His compassion and His concern and His understanding that they so desperately need for the big job that they have to do?
         15. Will you make it your prayer daily to say, "Jesus, please help me to have love today for those I work with, for those I teach, for those I talk to. If I don't accomplish another thing today, help me to have shown love to each person I encounter--a hug and touch for those who need affection; compassion for those who need to know I understand; patience for those who are confused and doubting; wisdom for those who need to share their heart but don't know how; tolerance with those who seem not to be trying hard enough; prayer for those who are burdened; loving care and understanding for those who are sick; a helping hand to those who are struggling with some task."
         16. And one more thing: If you can't figure out what someone's problem is, and you are tempted to criticize or harshly judge them for their physical, emotional or spiritual problems--or whatever kind of problems they may be--don't lean to your own understanding. You young people, talk to and pray with your shepherds about it. You teamworks, ask the Lord about it. Everyone, please try to have the Lord's merciful point of view and understanding of the problem. You have a great God Who loves and cares and delights in answering your questions. Ask Him to show you what the real problem is and its solution, and He will!
         17. I received a report one time about someone who was seriously ill. I told the writer of the report, "Don't wait until she dies, ask the Lord for specific words for her now. Why learn about the situation after the fact? Let's give her 'roses' now while she is still alive. Give her God's instruction now while she can do something about it. Give her His comfort and encouragement that can be His healing touch." And they did ask the Lord!--And they learned a lot when He spoke! And one of the most important things He said was to love. To love that weaker member, to care for her. To spend time with her, to help her. "Now abideth faith, hope and love, these three. But the greatest of these is love" (1Cor.13:13).
         18. If you want to know what Dad's and my greatest wish for each of you would be, it would be that you all have fervent love one for another, that you love one another as Jesus has loved you. By this shall all men know that you are His disciples, if you have love one to another--love not for an hour nor just for a day, but always. Love that never stops, love that never lets go, love that holds on. Love that pulls others through, carries over, looks beyond. Love that bears, that carries, that heals. Love that never runs out, that knows no boundaries.
         19. Will you commit yourself to praying daily for Jesus to fill you with His love today so that you can pour His healing balm upon all you meet and do unto others as you would want them to do unto you?--That, in place of misunderstanding and self-righteousness, a critical spirit, an insensitive attitude, a selfish outlook, a murmuring spirit, a belittling and disrespectful air, a harsh judgmental viewpoint, and unprayerful opinion, He will give you His mind and His heart, which are loving, caring, compassionate, understanding, concerned, giving, sacrificing, full of faith, wanting to see others happy.
         20. Jesus said, "I came to seek and save that which is lost even as My Father hath sent Me, so send I you" (Luk.19:10; Jn. 20:21).
         21. The little sheep that is lost in the brambles may be any one of your brothers and sisters, any one of your Family who may be lost in discouragement, lost in confusion, lost in condemnation, lost in doubts, lost in weariness, lost in pain.
         22. Can you not take up Jesus' commission to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils? Heal the sick in body and spirit by your loving words. Cast out the devils of doubt and condemnation through your understanding love. Raise the dead whose hope has died by expressing faith and confidence in them. Cleanse the "lepers" who feel unclean, undeserving, unrecognized, unwhole, by your unconditional love and acceptance. "Freely ye have received, freely give" (Mat.10:8).
         23. Remember the old proverb, which is just as true as always, "Love begins at home."
         24. There are so many right there in your Home who need your love right now. Tomorrow may be too late. Please don't fail them!


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