Thank you Brother Richard for these life lessons to live by
while dying!
Around three weeks ago, a dear
friend and church member was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma cancer. To make a
long story short, this was a shock to him, to his family, and to our church.
Our brother and friend was in the prime of his life and caring for a wife and
three beautiful children. Richard was a faithful man to our church and to his
work, he served as a deacon, and also was a dear friend who helped me
personally and encouraged me when I was going through some difficulties to
persevere in the faith. One of the things I remember about our conversation was
that Richard’s counsel was biblical and concise and he, by no means, cut
corners. Richard loved and lived the truth.
When Richard was diagnosed with
cancer, I wanted to help my dear brother in any way, but little did I know that
Richard would be the one to do the most good. As a matter of fact, I’m sure
Richard did do the most good. As my eyes looked upon my dear brother, who was definitely
beginning to feel the grip of aggressive cancer consuming his body, he so gently
and affectionately ministered grace to my heart and encouraged me to follow
Christ, regardless of the circumstances of life!
A dear brother in our Church
organized night shifts so that men could come and stay with Richard, help give
him his medicine, and assist him through the night. I’ve also seen many folks,
as I served as Chaplin at Hawfield’s
Presbyterian Home, suffer through cancer, but the confidence and courage that
Richard displayed on the nights I stayed with him was unlike any other.
So I wanted to pen a few life
lessons to live by when dying that my brother Richard taught me the two nights
I was able to spend with him.
The first lesson is
that sin is worth slaying.
As brother
Richard and I talked, as he was sitting in his chair, he spoke of the
difficulty of slaying those remaining sins that that seem so easily to beset us,
those sins that haunt us on a regular basis! Richard told me that God had given
him much grace to lay those besetting sins aside and to enjoy sweet fellowship
with the Lord Jesus! The grace that was displayed by brother Richard, his rich
confidence and determination to pursue Christ through his cancer and persevere
in holiness, is a wonderful lesson to live by when dying. I was reminded of how
precious the gospel is and how we can truly be confident that Jesus who has begun a good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ or until
he decides to take us home! (Phil 1:6) Thank you, Brother Richard, for
teaching me this lesson. Hebrews
12:1-2 “Therefore we also,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which so easily
ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before
us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,!”
The second lesson is that God is truly good.
Brother Richard
reminded me a few times of how good God has been to him even in the midst of
battling cancer. Richard reminded me that God had given him over 40 years of
life. He said that he did not deserve those, and he really wanted to serve
Christ through his cancer and be a blessing to all around him. Throughout the
night when Richard was awake and needed attention his first words to me were “God
is so good.” Our God answered our brother’s prayers and Richard’s faith and
love for Jesus was radiant and shined as brightly as a city set upon a hill.
Thank you, Brother Richard, for making this truth real to me! Psalm 63:3-4 “Because
Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I
live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.” Psalm 106:1 “Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD,
for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
The third lesson is that we really do have a blessed assurance.
On the
second night, the day before our brother reached the New Jerusalem, Richard was
heavily medicated because of the aggressive nature of the cancer that was
consuming his body. As I sat beside his bed holding his hand, alongside my
brother Micah Allen who was graciously tending to Richard’s medical needs, Brother
Richard began to sing that wonderful hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” Micah and I began
to sing this song with our brother.
Yes!
Even amidst the darkest providence, the deepest sickness, God visits his people
with amazing assurance! Our brother, Richard, displayed for us what happens
when we truly live and believe these words found in Ephesians 3:17-19. “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints
what is the width and length and depth and height -- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with
all the fullness of God.”
Sometimes,
as we are with our friends who are going through tremendous trial, we are lost
for words, or find it hard to respond, but thanks be to God that through our
brother’s sickness he taught us to sing so that at all times and in every place
we can have exactly what the hymnist wrote in this beautiful hymn.
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory
divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase
of God,
born of his Spirit, washed
in his blood.
This is my story, this is my
song,
praising my Savior all the
day long;
this is my story, this is my
song,
praising my Savior all the
day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect
delight,
visions of rapture now burst
on my sight;
angels descending bring from
above
echoes of mercy, whispers of
love.
(Refrain)
3. Perfect submission, all is at
rest;
I in my Savior am happy and
blest,
watching and waiting,
looking above,
filled with his goodness,
lost in his love.
(Refrain)
Thank you, Brother Richard, for teaching me what perfect
submission, rest, and happiness is, and what it means to be watching and
waiting, filled with his goodness and lost in His love!
The forth lesson is
to live a life that is not wasted!
As we came to the close of Friday
morning, our dear brother had a very difficult night. It was evident that
Richard’s body was becoming weaker, and that the remaining hours of his
pilgrimage here were coming to a close. Richard asked if he could be set up,
and it took us a few moments to understand exactly what his request was. So we
sat him up with his dear wife, Marisol, sitting beside him and with Micah on
the other side to hold him up. Richard was trying to communicate with us, but
because of the extreme circumstance our dear brother was in, it was hard for him
to communicate for more than a few seconds.
So I asked Richard if we could
sing a hymn to him and he nodded yes. With the hymnals in our hands, I thought
of this hymn which God’s grace was demonstrating so vividly in Richard’s life -
“All The Way My Savior Leads Me.” We
found the page and began to sing. Richard joined in with no hymnal and sang the
first stanza by heart before he could not continue. The truths and promises contained
in that hymn taught me that no not for one moment has Richards
heavenly Father left his side. The vibrant display of our brother’s faith and trust
brought home the reality that indeed our God is great! His promises are true,
and we can say with confidence that Jesus leads us all the way, not part of the
way, not three-quarters of the way, but all the way until we reach that blessed
embrace which extends through endless ages!
At that moment, I began to realize
that my dear friend and brother lived his life in such a way that when death came to
his front door he had not wasted his life. His life was cut short but his life
was lived to the full. Our brother, Richard, loved his family, his wife, his children,
his church, but most of all, he deeply loved his Savior and redeemer, The Lord
Jesus!
It has been said “Catch on fire and
others will love to come watch you burn.” Before cancer, Richard Burdeshaw was a bright
light and an example to us, but through his trial our brother burned brightly, and
we marveled at the grace of God on display and rejoiced as he burned white hot
for Christ’s glory!
Thank you, Brother Richard, for
not only living well, but for finishing well. Your life and ministry to me and
our church family has been a living epistle, and we are indebted to you, dear
brother, for teaching us some priceless life lessons to live by when dying! I
know one thing for sure, I’ll never be able to sing this hymn again without relishing
its truth and the fact that Jesus truly lead our brother all the way, even to
glory!
- All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav'nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate'er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well,
For I know, whate'er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
- All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see.
- All the way my Savior leads me;
Oh, the fullness of His grace!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father's blest embrace.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way!
May Jesus give me and all His people
the grace to sing, as Richard did, these
marvelous words as we prepare to meet our Savior! Thank you, Brother Richard,
for these life lessons to live by while dying!
Made Willing In The Day Of His Power!
Casey Kirkman
