On Oct. 26, Rebekah Laue received the call from Jesus. “Come home, my beloved daughter. You’ve been faithful with the task I gave you. You’ve given selfless love and asked little in return.”
A few hours after Rebekah entered heaven, I received a call from her son, Dan Laue, “Mom passed away this morning.”
“Oh, Dan, I’m so sorry, but I know this: Heaven is glowing with her presence and she is in the arms of Jesus. Your mother was a true saint. She loved you and your two sisters unconditionally. One day you’ll see her in heaven and understand how much you were loved.”
It seemed she passed too quickly. We didn’t say goodbye.
Rebekah was a prayer warrior. She prayed continually. When I went by her home, she was usually praying for someone on the other side of the world, or the people of Pagosa. She stood over the breadboard, kneading bread and praying. She had a keen ear to God’s heaven and knew who needed prayer.
Out of strong prayers from the heart of Rebekah, she prayed for this little town. You might have dodged a few bullets, changed your mind from destruction or loved with a different kind of heart, all because Rebekah Laue was standing at the throne of God on your behalf. Few knew; few thanked her. She seemed to have a grasp on heaven’s call. Few understood as she quietly went about her business.
Masked in ordinary things, there was always a pot of soup simmering on the stove and a loaf of fresh bread in the oven. She prepared for guests who might come by her door.
Most important, the Lord kept her hidden away. Why? She was on a different kind of mission, one that didn’t need bright lights or lavish living. Dismissed by the carelessness of others, she stayed in the shadows. She continued to knead fresh bread from heaven, talking to Jesus.
When I prepared a Bible study to teach, I thought of Rebekah. She was very similar to the Shulamite maiden in the vineyard. She fell in love with the King and her whole life was about King Jesus.
Just as Solomon’s words had emboldened the Shulamite, Rebekah lived in that same place in King Jesus’ heart. His poetic expression of deep intimacy and affection for his bride gave her vision others wished to have.
Solomon tells the maiden, “Your love ravishes my heart.” The Hebrew word for “ravished” is libabthini, taken from a Semitic root word meaning to tear bark off a tree. He was saying her loving eyes of worship had made him vulnerable and had uncovered his heart.
This is what Rebekah’s love had done. She had torn off the bark of the tree of heaven and laid open the heart of Jesus. Today, she sits in a special place next to the One she loved.
Some of us desired that intimate relationship, but few have attained it in this journey on earth. Before she entered heaven, she had already experienced that kind of love. She walked that walk of faith. Not shouting, but quietly staying in the kitchen, kneading bread and praying.
Misjudged by many, somehow, she didn’t need to explain herself. She moved with intention and worked in her yard around her flowers, asking for nothing.
As she dug around her strawberry plants, her fingers touched the berries and they came alive. Each year she thinned them and sent a bundle of plants home with me. They didn’t do as well in my yard, and I always admired her for that gift of growing things. Whether it was growing beautiful flowers or painting them on a stretched canvas, she had that special touch from heaven.
I loved her quietness and confidence which gave her strength to walk in places others didn’t walk. Jesus’ words lodged in her heart. They were life-giving, they were her protection and they were the sustaining force for her to live.
Final brushstroke: Jesus’ words were her weapon against crazy makers in her world. Oh that we could catch a glimpse of what Rebekah Laue saw and knew about heaven and where she is today.
Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of The SUN.
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