Today we are faced with a painful and perplexing situation we could never have imagined. A mother, grandmother, co-worker, mentor, teacher, daughter and friend has been inexplicably and unexpectedly taken from us. We cannot pretend that we are not shocked and grieved by the death of Earline. The timing of it makes it all the more difficult. She was in the prime of her professional career and had many more years to live and so many more lives to influence.
We are gripped with a range of emotions, the sadness over the loss of someone so gifted, talented, loving and special. Some of us are angry because we have been left behind and because we didn’t get an opportunity to help. Some of us are having feelings of guilt because we didn’t see the signs or we feel like we could have done more. And all of us are asking “why?” How could it have come to this? Why didn’t she ask for help?
There is so much we don’t know. We don’t know what burden Earline was carrying which seemingly appeared to her to be too much to shoulder. We don’t know why she took her own life or what led her to think she had no other choice. We wonder how long Earline lived with this mounting burden and how long she had to endure it. We wonder at the despair that at last got out of hand and drove her to this decision. Our hearts go out to her, someone we thought we knew so well, and someone we loved and yet managed to conceal from us a struggle that lasted for all we know, weeks, months or even years. And we wonder, of course, how much she suffered at the end, in this final lonely act. There is much we do not know, and it hurts.
But that is not what today is about because there is a great deal we do know. We know that though she carried with her a great burden with which she struggled and eventually enveloped her, God’s grace is sufficient. The Apostle Paul was bothered by what he called a “thorn” in his flesh. He doesn’t say what that was, except that it was a constant harassment that would not go away. Paul said that he prayed continuously imploring the Lord to take it away; but the Lord answered him with words that have since given hope and courage to countless Christians who have questioned and struggled with life’s dilemmas: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Even in our times of weakness, God’s grace is sufficient for us.
Paul put it this way when he wrote to the Roman church, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death…For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:1-2, 38-39) Did you hear that? God withholds his love from no one. He loved Earline all the days of her life. When she was born, God’s love was with her in the gift of life. When she was baptized in the faith, God’s love was with her. When she professed her faith in Jesus for the first time, God’s love was with her. When she went to church with Ms. Ruby, God’s love was with her. And even when Earline’s days were at their toughest, when the pressures and stresses facing her seemed overwhelming, God’s love was still with her. And God’s love is with her today as well. No matter what we do or fail to do, no matter what we say or fail to say, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And the same is true for us: you do not have to bear this grief of losing Earline alone. In fact, that same love from God that Earline experienced in her life and is experiencing right now can be experienced by you today in this time, this place and in these circumstances.
You see, grace is God’s answer, and it is the only answer I know to the many questions we face today. We can wrestle with “if”. If only I had said something… If only I had done something… If only I had noticed what she was struggling with…” We can wrestle with the why’s. Why did she do this? Why did she make this decision? Why didn’t turn to us for help? But that is a path which leads nowhere and provides no answers. When we understand that God’s grace is sufficient, then we know he loves us and hears us. He is aware of our weaknesses. He knows our problems and frustrations. Even in our grief and sorrow, he understands because he knows what it means to lose someone close to him, in his son Jesus Christ. And we know that God’s grace will help carry us through and will heal the pain and brokenness in our lives.
We also know that God is so great “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” At this vantage point, it is hard to see how any good could come from this tragedy. But look what God was able to accomplish in the cross. The cross marked the lowpoint of Jesus’ ministry. It was a sign of failure and humiliation. Jesus was rejected and despised by the very people he was sent to reach and minister to. Not only that but they killed Jesus so they would no longer have to deal with him. The darkness, which descended upon the earth during the crucifixion, gives testimony to the despair God and the heavenly realm felt as Jesus was scourged and crucified. But the cross did not remain a symbol of defeat. God transformed the cross from a sign of ugly humiliation, hate and failure into a symbol of love, hope and redemption. It became the cornerstone of God’s transforming power of love and grace.
The tragedy which has gripped us is not good by any means When a person takes their own life, it is a tragedy beyond comprehension. We are likely to think in terms of failure- failure of will, failure of family, failure of friends and church. There is not one good thing about this. This is not what God wanted. But good can come from this. Because of God’s grace, good can come from this. Just as the disciples between Good Friday and Easter Sunday did not see the goodness of what God might be able to do, so we cannot see what God will do through this event. But we know is this: that in all things, even in the event of a tragic death through suicide, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Third, we know that today, while we mourn a life lost, we do something much more. Story of David and Lisa. We don’t focus on a life taken or a life ended but rather we celebrate a life given and a life received. First is the life received. Earline was a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. That means we do more than mourn here today, we celebrate what Earline has received. She has received grace upon grace. She has received God’s love. She has received forgiveness of her sins. She has had the burden and the pain which she carried removed from her life. And most importantly, she has received the gift of eternal life. Though her life has ended here on earth, she has started a new life with God today. That is why even in the midst of tears and mourning, we are able to celebrate.
The second thing we celebrate today is the life given to us through Earline and the gifts and blessings we have received through her. She was an amazingly accomplished woman. She was a whiz with numbers, having taught math for many years. She was fluent in Spanish and taught that language as well. She was a wonderful cook and show her love for her family through her etouffe, her gumbo, her roast and her shrimp and spinach pasta. She could paint and paint well, even adding a mural to the walls of the schools she taught. She was an accomplished dancer and even taught dance to adults as well. She could sing. She could fix just about anything. In fact one day when Ray had spent several hours trying to get the lawn mower running, she came out and got the wrench, adjusted this and adjusted that and in no time got that mower running, while several of the neighbors just watched from afar. But those things were really just sidelights to her life. What really defined and marked Earline were her family and vocation.
First and foremost, Earline gave herself to her family. She was the rock of the family. Married for 36 years to Ray, they were high school sweethearts and literally grew up together. She was Ray’s wife, mentor, his calm, his mentor and teacher, his counsel and the mother of his children. Earline was the guide for the family as well. She was extremely gifted and knowledgeable. And if you had a problem or need in your life and she didn’t know anything about that, she went and taught herself so she could be there for you and help you. She was the rare type of person who not only had intellect and book smarts but she had street smarts as well and she used that to nurture and sometimes push her family to grow and develop beyond what they would have themselves. She always knew what to say. When one of the kids got into trouble she was always there. And rather than responding in anger, she surrounded them with love and compassion. To one event she responded, “There’s enough love in this house. We’ll get through it.” It was that love which filled her family’s life and it is her love which surrounds us today and will carry us through this as well.
The other part of Earline’s life was her vocation as a teacher and administrator. Those two terms seems somehow lacking because she was much more than that. Her life was about touching, molding and mentoring the lives of others. That often meant going above and beyond the call. It was not uncommon for her to tutor kids at the house 4-5 afternoons a week. It wasn’t just about getting kids through the class or through school, it was about touching and transforming lives so that they might have a better future. Nashaunta Robinson, a freshman, recalled how Bridges tutored her when she was failing several classes at Marrero Middle. "I think I never would have passed, if not for her," she said. Earline gave herself to others in everything she did.
She gave the best of herself. She was confident and strong-willed and very knowledgable about her job. What she didn’t know, she learned. She became known as a fixer, turning around Fischer, Marrero Middle School and then sent to John Ehret High School this year. She was the rare bread of leader who immediately saw where the school needed to go and then enlisted the help of the teachers and staff to help transform the school and the kids. She was a super administrator and was able to change a school ad streamline it to accomplish the goals which were laid out. And she accomplished great things not for herself but for the sake of the kids. She was successful at anything she tried and would go to any lengths to reach a child. She soon realized that different methods of teaching had to be used for different kids and would use whatever method it took to get a child to learn and comprehend the material. She did whatever it took and challenged others to do the same.
It’s been said that death ends the physical but never the spiritual. Death may end lives, but it can never end relationships. Even though Earline is no longer with us, our relationship with her remains. She touched so many lives and her contribution will live on with us. So, each time a memory of Eearline leaps into your head, it’s my hope that you will cherish those moments for it may be her way of keeping in touch with you.
Robert Test has written a short essay entitled, To Remember Me,
At a certain moment, a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.
When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don’t call this my deathbed. Call it my bed of life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.
Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby’s face, or love in the eyes of a woman.
Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.
Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.
Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.
Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.
If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses, and all prejudice against my fellow man.
Give my sins to the devil. Give my soul to God.
If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.
