My wife was quiet and sincere—a behind-the-scenes kind of person. She taught and mentored students in her home church in the 1980s and 1990s. But she chose not to retire from that ministry. And over the past 10 years, she continued to teach and mentor the children of her former students. In fact, she ministered to two generations of believers in Jesus within the same family. All in all, 40 years of faithful service.
Since October 2012, my wife had bravely fought late-stage cancer. After two major surgeries and many rounds of chemo, she finally succumbed to the dreadful disease. On August 2, 2015, Lay Keng, my wife, companion, and friend for the past 29 years, took her last breath and entered Jesus’ presence.
The 3 years Lay Keng battled cancer were very difficult and filled with pain. But she didn’t stop caring for others—even in the midst of her sickness and suffering. Clear-minded about the work God had given her, she remained steadfast, for she wasn’t afraid to suffer for her Lord (2 Timothy 2:5). She strived to serve Him faithfully because she loved Him deeply.
Second Timothy 4:7 was Lay Keng’s favorite Bible verse. It truly dictated how she chose to live her life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” Lay Keng did her best to fulfill those words, something we should all aspire to do: Be faithful to the end.
Rejoice with me. My wife is now with the God she so loves. No more pain. No more sickness. No more suffering. God Himself has wiped away every tear from her eyes (Revelation 21:4). Lay Keng may have had cancer, but cancer didn’t have her. God held her in His hands and now has her in His arms! What a faithful, loving God He is.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 11:1-30
More:
Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. What is God’s promise and comfort for us as we come to terms with the frailty of our physical bodies?
Next:
What gives you hope today as you face suffering in this life? How can you learn to be more faithful to the God who deeply loves you?
Oba AINA on July 6, 2016 at 2:27 am
SimKayTee, thank God the testimony which is encouraging.
The departure from us is entrance to His presence.
We,’ll soon join in the eternal bliss.
To God alone be our praise for bringing us into the light of the Gospel where we receive consolation in times like this.
Accept our condolences.
God will surely comfort and help you in the days to come.
Remain blessed in Jesus as you receive His comfort.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 ESV
http://bible.com/59/2co.1.3-5.ESV
gagirllive on July 6, 2016 at 5:23 am
K.T., thank you for sharing your loss with us in this beautiful, bitter-sweet devotional. It sounds like your wife lived and loved well—pouring her life out like a drink offering to the Lord by pouring her life into the young people she mentored. I’m sure that only eternity will reveal the full impact she made in the lives of those she touched. What a legacy she left behind! Her favorite verse should be the motivation by which we all live our lives as children of God. We are stewards of the dash—that line between our birth and our death—and it is required of stewards to be faithful…to stay the course (with the right attitude!) in what God has called us to do. The race is not given to the swift nor to the strong but to the one who endures to the end. Kay Leng finished well because she remained faithful to the God who is faithful. Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a sweet and simple song years ago that is still a favorite of mine….”My Redeemer is Faithful and True. Everything He has said He will do. Every morning His mercies are new. My Redeemer is Faithful and True.” Amen…Great is His faithfulness! K.T., I look forward to meeting your precious wife when I get home. May the Lord give you continued comfort, grace, and peace in the days ahead as you faithfully serve Him. Thank you for blessing us today, dear brother. Press on.
Gary Shultz on July 6, 2016 at 6:24 am
Thank you so much K.T. for the words “Rejoice with me”. I do not know of a more powerful testimony to your wife’s life and your life as you press on, “Rejoice with me” may God write that in you heart at all times. Thanks K.T.
gagirllive on July 6, 2016 at 8:19 am
So true, Gary. That is the best that can be said…and it is unique only to those who have lost loved ones in Christ. “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.” (Psalm 116: 15) Praise God!
hsnpoor on July 6, 2016 at 11:11 am
Amen! Your devotion brought me to tears this morning and I am truly sorry for your loss, but, yes, K.T., I will and do rejoice with you knowing beyond a shadow of any doubt that your beloved wife is with our Lord and there is no better place to be! What a glorious hope for the future, as well, yes?
tccarr on July 6, 2016 at 8:48 am
God Bless the fruit of Lay Keng
Tim Gustafson on July 6, 2016 at 10:01 am
My Brother, you have penned a fitting tribute for Lay Keng. Yet I am sure you wish you could have written a book! I am privileged to have known her, and we KNOW that we will see her again. Thank You so much, Jesus!
godlove on July 6, 2016 at 10:42 am
Thanks for sharing your personal story in today’s devotional, KT, very inspiring. I’m sure Lay Keng’s former pupils testify to the positive impact she had on their lives through her teaching and her faithfulness to God. We know this body into which we are born is temporary and is bound to return to dust, but thank God for saving our souls through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16, “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.” Although this body will dies, the spirit will live on and Lay Keng’s spirit surely lives on, for as we were reminded in Regina’s devotional on Monday, “To the faithful [GOD] shows [Himself] faithful” (2 Samuel 22:26). Blessings to you, dear brother, I rejoice with you.
hsnpoor on July 6, 2016 at 11:37 am
GG, I had a thought and praise report I wanted to share with you from yesterdays devotion & our conversation. I just posted it in yesterday’s comments…. You are such a joy!
gagirllive on July 6, 2016 at 12:13 pm
I responded, Kim.
youssef1777 on July 6, 2016 at 11:49 am
TRUST IN THE OUR LORD AND SAVIOR IS THE GREATEST THING YOU CAN LAY YOUR FAITH IN IT . NO MATTER YOU FACE IN YOUR LIFE . THE PEACE OF HIS MAKE YOU SENSE COMFORT IN YOUR HEART . I LOVE MY LORD AND THANK HIM FOR EVERY THING HE DID FOR ME , GOD BLESS YOU ,
ng on July 8, 2016 at 7:19 am
Thank you for sharing. What a powerful testimony.