Remember

“Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.” Genesis 35:14

Pastor Matt Woodley tells the following story: “On Valentine’s Day, 1948, Robertson McQuilkin proposed to his sweetheart Muriel, and they married in August that same year.

For the next three decades, they raised six children and served God together. The first sign their lives were about to change appeared in 1978. Muriel loved to tell stories, but one day she started repeating a story she had just finished a few minutes earlier.

In 1981, doctors urged Robertson to consider the possibility of Alzheimer’s disease. From that point on, Robertson watched helplessly as his fun, creative, loving wife slowly faded away.

By 1990, Robertson knew he needed to make a decision about his career. The school needed him 100 per cent, and Muriel needed him 100 per cent. Robertson chose to resign.

“People think it must be so difficult,” he said, “but … even on the emotional side, I didn’t look back with any regrets at all. I enjoyed the new life.”
On Valentine’s Day, 1995, Muriel suddenly woke up from her mental fog, smiled, and spoke for the first time in months. She said, “Love? … love? … love.” Those were the last words Muriel ever said aloud.
Muriel died on September 19, 2003. In a letter to friends, Robertson wrote, “For 55 years Muriel was flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone. So it’s like a ripping of my flesh and deeper?—my very bones. But there is also profound gratitude. For ten years, I’ve delighted in recalling happy memories. I still do. No regrets. I’m grateful.”
That, my friends, is a picture of God’s covenant love for us. He loves us not as a chore but because it brings him delight.”

“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel” 2 Timothy 2:8