Whatever You've Got Going, Lord

From LifeDate – Winter 2005.

Whatever You’ve Got Going, Lord!
by Linda D. Bartlett

The woman was scheduled for surgery. One day she called to tell me she was “getting her affairs in order.” I didn’t think much about it as she went on to ask me a few questions about her durable power of attorney. It was not odd for the woman to speak this way because I knew her to be a person of common sense. She understood that the operation would, for all practical purposes, be a routine procedure. Nevertheless, a few days later she called back to say, “Whatever the Lord’s got going here is fine with me.”

A few days before the surgery, the woman’s two daughters flew in to be close at hand. The woman had a grand idea. She told me she was planning a joyful “night out on the town.” The evening was special indeed. Over a leisurely dinner, the woman and her daughters shared many memories. They laughed, then cried, then laughed some more as they lingered over a single glass of white Zinfandel. Later, they returned home to curl up in the living room where they continued their story-telling into the wee hours of the night. “I gotta tell you girls,” said the woman, “whatever the Lord’s got going here is fine with me.”

When the woman’s son called to say he would drive down to be with her, she assured him there was no need. “You stay with your family right now. I’ll see you soon.” Then she penned him a loving letter with words that can only flow from a mother’s heart. The message was conveyed once again. “Whatever the Lord’s got going here is fine with me.”

On the morning of the surgery, the woman woke early. She slipped out the back door to say good-bye to her two dogs, the faithful companions who greeted her this morning as they did every morning. Coming back inside, she slowly walked through the rooms of the house, touching her lips and planting a “kiss” on the photo faces of husband, children, and grandchildren. The woman sighed, then picked up the bag she had carefully packed the night before. With one quick glance over her shoulder back at the house, she walked to the car. No one but the Father heard her say, “Whatever you’ve got going here, Lord, is fine with me.”

The surgery did not go as expected. There were many complications. The woman’s body grew weak and could no longer fight the battle of life over death. In the distance, she could hear the great choir of heavenly angels praising God. “Whatever you’ve got going here, Lord, is fine with me.” Yet, there was a brief hesitation. Perhaps she heard one of her daughters say, “We must let her go.” Perhaps she heard her other daughter cry, “No!” The woman waited as if she were giving her daughter time to adjust her thinking and receive the same peace that was now flowing through the mother. It was not easy, but both daughters agreed, “Mom is ready.” And they entrusted her to God.

Days later, the daughters opened the bag which their mother had packed for her hospital stay. In it were all the things that a woman would take for recovery from surgery – a few toiletries, a nightgown, a photo or two of family, books for passing the time, and a well-worn Bible. Looking through the items in the bag, they paused to remember the behavior of their mother the morning she left home for the hospital. They heard her sigh and saw her lingering glance at the house. They knew she had written a “good-bye” letter of encouragement to her son. But, at the same time, here was a bag filled with the items one would need for life.

This was a woman who truly believed, “Whatever you’ve got going here, Lord, is fine with me.” She lived each day ready to do those things God had already prepared for her to do, yet she kept her eyes focused on the Savior who would one day carry her home. Her children agreed that, as long as they had known her, she had always spoken with excitement about her eternal home with Jesus. Yet, never had they met anyone who was more content to be in the present—loving souls and sharing the Word of life.

This was a woman who eagerly expected and hoped that she would have nothing to be ashamed of. She spoke boldly and honored Christ in her body. Whether she lived—or died—it would be to the glory of her Heavenly Father (Philippians 1:20-21). And He abided with her.

And so, the peace that passed all understanding for this woman is the legacy that was given to her children and her children’s children.

“I gotta tell you, Lord!” the woman’s words still echo. “Whatever you’ve got going here is fine with me.”