Saturday, March 12, 2016

A Life Which Continues to be Well-Lived

Mervin Troyer went to glory on March 11, 2016 at 97 years old. He was married to my aunt Dorothy, my mother's sister who went before him many years ago.  He could best be described as a man who lived life well, and a man who exemplified faith and trust in the God he knew and loved.  He was a  servant and helper, a person who knew the value of hard work, honesty and integrity.

I have said all of those things regarding Uncle Mervin, and have nodded affirmatively while others have spoken of him in such a way.  But the challenge is, if I don't learn from Mervin's life, if I don't take something away and apply it to my own, it's like looking at a reflection in a mirror - it's here, and it's gone - nothing is different.

By a life well-lived, I don't mean a life characterized by perfection, or by accumulating material possessions, or taking vacations to exotic places, or even by being well known.  I mean a life lived consistently, day after day, week after week, and year after year by these principles:

Work hard to provide for yourself and your family.
Serve others to give what you can to help however you can.
Humbly acknowledge with gratitude the life you have been given.
Have a deeply personal relationship with the God who made you.

Mervin lived all this and more each day, and even after Dorothy left this earth, he got up each day, made his bed, ate his breakfast, and then FOUND SOMETHING TO DO.  Mervin did not spend hours watching TV, Netflix, or playing on the computer.  He lived life simply, and with trust that all would be well.  I'm sure there are days he was sad, days he was lonely, days he was sorrowful, days he didn't feel like doing anything.  He was, after all, only human.  But even after he moved inside the Villa nursing care, his hands stayed busy as he made gadgets, tops, and toys. No excuses here.  You get up, you're breathing - that's a sign -  so you get busy and you DO.  Mervin found purpose in living each day just as God gave it to him.

So for me - the questions I need to be asking myself as I I consider the life of Mervin Troyer - am I working hard to provide for my family?  Am I serving others and giving what I can to help however I can and whenever I have the opportunity to do so?  Do I humbly acknowledge with gratitude this life that God gave me?  Do I have a deeply personal relationship with the God who made me?  Have I taught my children these values and have they caught the baton that I hope I've passed to them? Have I made it plain and obvious to those who know me that when I've gone to glory that this is the legacy I desire to leave behind?  

They say saints rest from their labors in glory, and perhaps they do, but somehow, I don't see Mervin sitting in a rocking chair doing nothing.  Somehow I think he is stepping on those streets with energy and purpose as he meets his Savior and finds his beloved wife, his son, his sister, his parents, his relatives, and friends.

Mervin Troyer - a life well-lived here on earth, and continuing on to be well-lived in his eternal home.  Mervin taught us great lessons - lessons of faithfulness, trust, and of looking with expectancy for what is to come for those who are the children of God.  I wouldn't wish Mervin back here for anything, however, I hope he knows what an impact he had on me - a little girl who grew up watching him simply doing what he did best - putting words into action.