Through The Silence

He couldn’t speak……yet he said so much!

His name was Linwood Steiner.  He passed away on May 1, 2006, at his home in Theodore, AL, surrounded by his loved ones. The words he said to his family before he died are some words that you and I need to hear. But he couldn’t speak.

Linwood suffered from Lou Gherig’s disease (ALS - Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis).  Due to this disease, in just a few short years Linwood lost most all of the muscular function in his body.  When he experienced tremendous difficulty in breathing, he elected to be put on a ventilator – which kept him alive for 20 more months, but deprived him of the ability to speak..... yet he said so much!

For Linwood, to communicate was a challenge.  Although he was unable to talk, he would “speak” with his eyes.  He could answer “yes” and “no” questions: blinking his eyes meant “yes.”  Rolling his eyes back meant “no.”

As the end of his life drew near with his loved ones by his side, there were some things that Linwood wanted to say to them.  The family had to go through letters of the alphabet with him using a hand held chart in order to spell out the words, but the messages were clear, powerful, and unforgettable.  His family watched carefully and listened for every letter of every word.

“Take care of each other” was spelled out.  Then Linwood looked all around the room indicating that he wanted all of his loved ones to continue to care for one another after he was gone.

Then letter by letter, the words “Give your lives to Christ” were spelled out.  As difficult as it was for him to communicate, this was a message that Linwood wanted to be sure to give to his loved ones before his departure from this life.  He understood that giving one’s life to Christ was the key to living eternally with God in heaven - for him and for his loved ones (John 14:6).  He knew that only those with a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ can look forward to being reunited together with the Lord when He returns (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Won’t YOU give your life to Christ as Linwood did?  Place your faith in Jesus believing that He died on the cross for your sins (Acts 16:30-31), turn from your sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38).  Then live for Him, to the best of your ability, for the rest of your life (Revelation 2:10).

He couldn’t speak…..yet he said so much!

God bless you!

David A. Sargent, Minister 

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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