Her image never escapes me. With hands, knees and hips crippled from arthritis, Carmen’s passionate voice enabled all her Bible Study Students to run the good race of chasing after God’s Word. Year after year, I sat mesmerized and, like a sponge, absorbing every syllable of Scripture she both analyzed and prayed with her Bible Study disciples. Many Bible quotes, and their meaning, are embedded in my memory, thanks to Carmen. In addition, one “Carmen Adage” ranks eternal in my recall.
“Go to the Throne before the phone” was Carmen’s universal advice for the good, the bad and, even, the mediocre days of our lives. Think about it. In your life, whether you are excited, confused, angry, fearful or bored, where do you instinctively go – to the Throne or to the phone??? Boils down to, do we impulsively gossip, complain and explain via the phone; or do we innately run to God to share our news, needs and nervosities???
Many, many yesterdays have dawned and departed since I sat under Carmen’s tutelage, but her imprint remains today and will not disappear any tomorrow. Might not see her in person till we meet again in heaven, yet the vision of Carmen’s frail body being real muscle for our Lord is a repetitive rerun from the library of my most indebted to mentors. She taught me well to “Go to the Throne before the phone”. May Carmen, likewise, bring you food, not only, for thought, but also, for direction.
Uplifted in a Broken Down World 