The Impact Of Images
Jeremiah 10:11" Tell them this: 'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.' " 12 But God made the earth his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. 13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. 14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. His images are a fraud; they have no breath in them. 15 They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish. 16 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the maker of all thing, including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance - the Lord almighty is his name.
For the last five days, God has really spoken to my spirit with the word "images". Our every waking moment is filled with immeasurable images, both good and bad. There are images people bring into our lives and there are images we make for others. There are images not of God and, thankfully, images from God Himself. If you will allow, I want to share a perspective of "images" with you gained from experiences of the past several days.
The days I speak of have gone like a whirlwind in the Golden household. Cheryl's father, O.Z Walton, has been in declining health for the last few months. Last week, it became evident his earthly journey was quickly coming to an end.
His family chose to keep him at home during his final days.
On Friday, I went to his home to see how I might be of help. O.Z. was in his bedroom, lying upon a hospital bed supplied by a local hospice. Though his body was weak and frail, his spirit was undaunted. He was determined to fight until his body would not allow. He was always a fighter. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Air Corps. He was also one to appreciate the power of positive thinking.
As I entered the room, he stirred and greeted me with a fading, yet hearty, "Hey! how you doin'?" His crystal-blue, 87-year-old eyes still had a twinkle in them. (These are the same eyes I see everyday in Cheryl and my precious daughter, Stefan, by the way). His handshake was firm. If ever there was an example of mind over matter, it was O.Z. Walton. Though his mortal body was shutting down, O.Z's mind was unbowed.
The next several hours would become some of the most meaningful hours of my life. Isn't it amazing how God can take a time of loss and turn into a time of great gain? The gain would come not because of the circumstances we all found ourselves in, but because our Lord is such a loving, merciful, compassionate God. Once again, his love was displayed in numerous ways as our family came together to share O.Z.'s completing journey.
Throughout his ordeal, O.Z. remained positive. This, in spite of the fact he would struggle with every breath. As I helped reposition him and cared for his body, there was no complaint, just sincere appreciation that he still cheerfully voiced. He would remain positive, even as, on Saturday evening, his breathing pattern changed and he fell into a sleep from which he would never awaken. His positive nature left me with an image of God's contentment. I am certain that O.Z. would like to have stayed around awhile longer. He said as much. But I am equally as confident that O.Z. was content with God's decision to call him home. He trusted his Lord, period.
The change in O.Z's breathing pattern that occurred on Saturday night confirmed to me that we were experiencing the last few moments of his life. We did what we could do to make him comfortable and decided to try and get some rest, as we felt certain Sunday would be a long day. We would all restlessly sleep through the night, awaiting the inevitable. O.Z., however, would rest peacefully, which was a comfort to us all. Another image of God's mercy.
Sunday would arrive with an early wake-up call. O.Z's respirations were slowing down a tiny bit. As Cheryl and I were preparing to leave our home to make the short trek to her parents, my eyes were drawn to a magnificent sunrise just beginning to form. Once again, the Holy Spirit moved me to take notice. My mind was reminded of God's handiwork in ALL times. I grabbed a camera from my office, went outside and took what would turn out to be a glorious sunrise, complete with a single morning star still evident in the upper left portion of the photo. My mind considered what a blessing God was giving on what was probably (and would ultimately be) the last sunrise of O.Z.'s earthly existence. I felt a sense of encouragement from God himself, and I sensed that O.Z would soon be seeing the heavens in a far more perfect way than what I was witnessing at the moment. The photo of that sunrise was an unexpected, yet much appreciated, blessing. Call it an image of God's encouragement.
As the morning passed, family began to arrive at the Walton home. Each would find their moment with O.Z., a time to share their thoughts, appreciation, and prayers at his bedside. O.Z. and June raised a closely-knit, though not-perfect family. ( I know it is not perfect because I am a part of it...Ha!). The Walton family is, however, perfect for each other. The love that each member has for one another would become evident as each displayed kindnesses, hugs, laughs, etc. I guess you could say the display of affection was an image of God's love and the "good job" O.Z. and June have done as Father, Mother, Sister, Brother-in-law, Papaw, Grandmamma, Aunt, Uncle and friends.
The last few moments of O.Z.'s life would come in the early afternoon. The house, now filled with family, the smell of barbecue sauce and (of course) the sound of the Cowboy game coming from the living room, became hushed as each member of the family entered the bedroom where O.Z. lay. We each watched as his respirations slowed, then stopped. Another couple of minutes went by and O.Z.'s heart beat faded and then stopped. He had experienced the "ultimate healing!" Call it an image of God's fulfillment. God has promised those who love him a place where there is no sickness, no pain, no death. His promise was fulfilled in that room.
Because of my profession in healthcare, I have witnessed many deaths over the years. I have never witnessed a more peaceful transition to heaven, period. For most of those in that bedroom, it was their first experience in visualizing someone's death. I was thankful to God for allowing O.Z.'s passing to be one of peaceful, comfortable rest, with a loving family encircling him. For all of us, it was just another image of God's unwavering compassion.
After a time of prayer, the family began to disperse back to the activity area of the house. Within the hour, even as O.Z.'s body remained in his bed, the sounds of life began to fill up the house with kid's laughing and playing, adult conversation and (of course) THE COWBOY GAME! (Where else but Texas?) As the 'Boys came back to win the game with just a few seconds to go, the living room erupted with whoops, hollers, high-fives and excitement! That brought down the wrath from a couple of the family females, but I couldn't help but chuckle as I knew O.Z. would absolutely "eat this up", as we say here in Texas. That moment formed an image in my mind and a reminder in my heart of God's renewal of all life.
The house would once again become reverent as the funeral home would arrive to pick up O.Z's body. There were a group of five grandsons present at that time. O.Z. and June have a group of grandchildren that ADORE them. These young men displayed an act of utter devotion to their "Papaw" as they determined that THEY, not the Funeral Directors, would carry their beloved "Papaw" to the waiting funeral car. The image of God's devotion that Josh, Jeremie, Jordan, Daniel and John displayed to their grandparents (and entire family) makes me extremely proud to be their Uncle and Father.
As the funeral car moved away, the consideration of life without the physical body of O.Z. began to set in. The next few hours would be a time for tears, laughs, memories, etc. Sharing times of hardship with those you love helps to ease the burden. The expressions of affection each family member shared gave me an image of God's strength. You see, if we allow him, God will take our burden. which is great, and give us his, for he has promised "my yoke is easy and my burden is light". I thank God for HIS burden for each of those I love, and for myself as well.
Cheryl and I returned home around 11:00 PM. She was exhausted, so she went to bed and fell quickly asleep. I, on the other hand, began to ponder the events of the day. I sat down at my computer and was compelled to download the photos I had taken of the sunrise just a few hours earlier. As the images formed on the screen, I was amazed at how visually beautiful they were. I knew for sure at that time that God had intended me to see that sunrise and take those photos. The next couple of hours were spent preparing a memorial to O.Z. by imposing some lyrics of a song I wrote onto the image of the sunrise from O.Z.'s last day. The completed work became a beautiful image of God's plan, and how he loves us enough that he would orchestrate the heavens, so that it bring us comfort in times of sorrow. I know God planned that sunrise to be used as only he can do.
Monday would bring a day of visiting, preparation and planning. Each member of the family performed their own special kindnesses, which helped ease the load of the day. At one point, as we began to sort through photos of O.Z.'s life, I began to consider the question of the "story" behind each photo. For some photo's, the story is fairly evident. For other's, the clues may be subtle. In most cases, there are interesting stories behind the photos. The photos we selected would be sent to the Funeral Home for preparation into a memorial DVD. This DVD would prove to be one of the highlights in remembering O.Z. and bringing comfort to his survivors.
As Monday evening arrived, we went to the funeral home for family visitation. As we viewed the memorial DVD for the first time, each person was filled with a multitude of feeling. There, in just a few moments, was a visual representation of moments from the life of O.Z. Walton. I thank God for my memories. It's interesting to see how the "bad" memories fade and the "good" memories come more easily into focus. This situation helped me realize more fully that most of my "bad memories" are the images I created. The images God has created in my life are the only ones still clear and important. As the video streamed, I knew this was an image of yet another gift of God. God's gift of memories.
Monday night, Cheryl and I arrived home late to begin planning the music portion of O.Z's memorial. We recorded a song I wrote in January 2007 called "Without My Dad". It is about the time when one has to say "goodbye" to a wonderful dad.
I have wanted Cheryl to sing it ever since I wrote it. DID SHE EVER! She recorded it in one take, playing both the keyboard and singing the lead vocal. We added some background vocals to it and it came together easily, without struggle. God gave me that song almost a year ago. When we allow him, God will complete a mighty work in us. I wrote a song. Months later, God provided the time to use it for his glory. His work (in this matter) was completed. This opportunity to share my appreciation of God's gift of father's resulted in an image of God's completeness. Without God, the song is empty and incomplete. It is just type on a paper. But our work, combined with God's opportunity and God's images, creates a completed whole that can bless and change tender hearts.
The actual memorial service quickly arrived on Tuesday afternoon. As we were seated in the chapel, I once again was inundated with images. More images than I can describe. There were images of friends present to show their concern and respect. Images of family mourning their loss and sharing their grief. Once again, the video screen displayed visual images of moments from O.Z's life. There were songs about God, which gave us an image of one of O.Z's great passions...music and the story therein. Exquisite flower arrangements were even more visual images of the friendship, love and thoughtfulness of those who care for the Walton family in their time of loss.
Then God allowed me to bring all of what I had seen in the last few days into an image I could understand. All of the images of the past few days were not "of O.Z.". They were images of God himself. Images of what only he can provide. Images of what only he can give. Images of what only he can plan. Images of what only he can complete. They are images of God's wonderful gift of life and the choice that we all must make. Will the images we leave this world with be the images that we ourselves create? Or will they be the images that God has given us freely to use? The images that fade away, or the images that last?
The scripture reminds us that, without God, the images we fashion will bring shame and fade away. When we use the image of God, however, the image will be a completed image, one that is whole, one that endures.
In OUR IMAGE, the legacy ends and fades away. In GOD'S IMAGE, the legacy goes on for eternity.
O.Z. Walton was not a perfect man, as no man is. The God he chose to follow, however, is a perfect God. O.Z. knew this well, and demonstrated it consistently throughout his life. O.Z. chose to mirror the image of his God in an abundance of ways. The IMAGES created by his decision to do so will endure forever. The IMAGE he chose lives on. His legacy endures.
Well done, "OZ"
Dale Golden
The Goldens Gospel Music Ministries
Tyler, TX
http://www.daleandcherylgolden.com
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Written: 12/15/2007 
Author: Dale Golden
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