Ensign: Remembering Bonnie Swoap Benton

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountain; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3


AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS                       10 February 2017


I learned last week a classmate of mine from high school, who to the best of my knowledge I haven't seen since graduation, died of cancer the end of January. You'd think it would be easier out of a graduating class of seventy-nine people from my high school to remember several stand-out things about everybody, but of Bonnie I must admit I don't remember that much. She went into the military after graduation (I thought it was the Navy, the notices I've read say Army and I'm inclined to think I'm more likely to be wrong), married a fellow graduate from the previous year and according to her obituary has -- or should this be had even though she's the deceased? -- along with her husband, three daughters, one son, and six dogs.


By the way, the angry face comes from animosity about death, not necessarily because I'm angry at someone. I think we're both at the age where death is more ... annoying than anything else.


When I first read a fellow classmate's post about Bonnie's death this past Friday, after the shock had set in I've got to admit I was angry. Hence the angry face emoticon, hence my explanation above.


Please understand, I don't have a death wish. But it isn't a big concern of mine either -- I mean, barring Jesus returning for all of us who believe in my lifetime it's a good guess we all will die of something (all the causes involve us no longer breathing), and most likely in the middle of doing something as well. Our big question is: what? It's not just a matter of being "weary in well doing" or not (I'm borrowing that phrase from Galatians 6:9) though the older I get the easier I'm finding being weary to be.


But that's when we're being tested the most.


Either we don't see the results we want or would reasonably expect to happen when we are good and kind to the people who are not quite that way to us, or it seems that the same people or same causes demand our time, our resources, and our compassions again and again and again. Some of these, the entertaining ones and the abundant-already ones, we don't mind so much. But the ones that require legwork, that demand we go into the streets where they are ... we tend to find more excuses to not agree with Our Father's ideals, to stay home and not get involved.


Paraphrasing Star Wars, YES!


But whether we get involved or not, death comes to all of us. You could call it our default setting since Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit. It's a question of whether its sting ("O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?", 1 Corinthians 15:55) will like a hornet's just be annoying and hurt for a little bit, hurt those who remain here alive on Earth for a while, or be final. We never need a sterling reputation to enter God's presence -- indeed, if we had that why would we need to go to Him? -- but we do need to choose to. To admit He's God and we're not, and that there is way Way WAY more to life than death.


It's just the beginning,


David


P.S. I will continue as long as God allows me to write this devotional to keep in touch with you, and I hope it encourages us too! If it's not or you would like me to get lost, please let me know. Thank you!

Thank YOU, Lord, that we can come to You in prayer and that we can count on You to provide for all our needs according to Your riches in glory, even when we don't know what our needs are. And we come to You in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence and all over the world.


Thank You as well, Lord, for everyone in leadership and service, in authority and power, both here and abroad. Thank You for the opportunities we have and the promise of new life through You by Your Son Our Brother, Jesus the Christ.


And now I pray that we all seek and have a blessed week! Amen.