Hold on loosely

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.  –Psalm 23:1-3 (ESV)
 
I'm learning to ease my grip on the things of this world, to hold on loosely. I met an extraordinary lady a few weeks ago who helped me with that. Her name was Robyn. She was born in Huntsville, Texas, and her not-too-religious family moved to a small Oklahoma town when she was in sixth grade. She came to know Jesus at a conservative Southern Baptist church that picked her up on a refurbished school bus each Sunday. Robyn graduated high school in that town, then went away to college, but dropped out when she decided that employment could provide her the best education she would get.
 
Naturally smart, curious, and communicative, she talked herself into multiple jobs over the next few years and became proficient in them, resulting in numerous promotions and new opportunities. Ultimately, her career brought her to Northwest Arkansas. Her spiritual walk had been up and down since her church bus days, but as she neared her 30’s, she began to feel a need for connection. She joined the local church and became more intentional about sharing her faith with anyone who would listen.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  –Psalm 23:4-5 (ESV)
 
In 2015 she learned that she had breast cancer. After a difficult struggle, she emerged from the fight cancer-free. Then, in October 2019, she noticed a small lesion on her chest. Upon examination, it was discovered that the cancer was back in full force and had pretty much taken over her body. When I met Robyn in January 2020, she was preparing to enter hospice care at her residence. She was 37. She was requesting prayers, not that she would be healed of her cancer (though she wasn’t ruling that out and would not have minded it), but that she would finish well. In her words, “I want to touch as many lives as I possibly can with the power and presence of Jesus before I go, and I’d like to go comfortably and peacefully when it’s time to leave.”
 
She broke the news to those in her circle. Family, friends, co-workers, and medical staff marveled at the grace and peace she displayed in her illness and prognosis. Many would ask about it. She, of course, took every opportunity to share the hope she had that allowed her to travel this path without fear. She had two goals remaining: to take her mother on a Caribbean vacation, and to host a blowout party for her 38th birthday, where she planned to invite as many Christian and non-Christian friends as she could, in hopes that seeds of friendship would be sown that would lead some of her non-Christian friends to a knowledge of Jesus. As with so many other things in her life, she prayed for strength, made the plans, prepared herself, and accomplished both objectives.
 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  –Psalm 23:5 (ESV)
 
Robyn went home to be with her Lord on March 10, 2020. To say she made an impression on me would be an understatement. I don't think I was alone in that. I believe God answered her prayer.
 
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  –Psalm 23:6 (ESV)