Dearest friends and prayer warriors. I want to extend my deepest gratitude for the prayers you have lifted up on behalf of my sweet Janie and our family through the past 15 weeks. Janie fought hard, but her body was too frail to endure any longer. Yesterday was by far the hardest day of my life. Saying goodbye for now and laying the tent of this world that housed my precious wife to rest was almost unbearable. I will grieve her presence here for a long time. My family and our close friends will grieve as well. You all know, from earlier posts, how Janie has touched so many lives. She touched them not out of a sense of earning her way to Heaven, she knew that she could never earn her way into God’s presence. She did it because of who she was in Christ.
Janie knew that we live in a broken world. We can see it all around in the pain and suffering we see. Many try to solve their brokenness by turning to things like material possessions, or addictive behaviors. Some even turn toward God through religion in an attempt to do many good works, but even they don’t satisfy the brokenness as they fall short of God’s plan for life.
Yes, God had a perfect plan; that mankind would live in harmony with him eternally. We still see much of what was in store when we see the beauty of creation, the love of a family and friends. But man caused the brokenness when instead of following God’s plan he rebelled to do things his own way. God calls this rebellion sin. And that sin caused the brokenness, and led to separation from God and his plan.
But, as Janie knew, God still loves us and desires a relationship with us. This is good news. The good news is the gospel. Janie learned at a young age that though she couldn’t reach God, he had reached down to her, to us, by sending his very son, Jesus, who lived a life like ours, but without sin. Though he was innocent, he willingly paid the price, the penalty, of our sin by taking it upon himself, once for all. He shed his blood on a Roman cross, to pay that price, and rose from the grave after three days, conquering sin and death. What Jesus did for us, God has used to rescue us and restore us to his perfect plan for eternity.
The Bible says in Romans 10: “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Janie realized that this truth is absolute, confessed her sin, and turned from it years ago. Her life was changed. She loved so fiercely because of who she was in Jesus our Savior. She found the peace that is able to carry through abuse, grief, pain, sickness, even death. And now she sits in God’s presence where I will see her again when my life is over. Not because of what I am or have done. But because of who Christ is in me.
Thank you again for following our journey. Though we grieve that Janie is not with us here, we rejoice in the hope that we will see her again, in God’s time.
We love you all.
Wayne and the entire Tiller household.
