THE LONGER I SERVE HIM

Bill and Gloria Gaither were married in 1962.  As they were building their life together, developing careers and music ministries and starting their family, they followed a very busy schedule.  Yet getting to know each other’s extended families was a priority.  One day, Bill took Gloria to meet his grandmother, a warm and well-liked woman affectionately known as ‘Mom’ Hartwell.

Later, Gloria wrote, “I loved her from the start.  She was Irish like my own grandmother.  I felt as if I had come home to someone I’d lost at age fourteen, when my own dear grandmother had died.”

She had a welcoming home and it was amazing how many children, strangers, guests, even stray dogs and cats showed up at Mom Hartwell’s house.

One day, Mom suffered a stroke and her health quickly declined.  The family sat by her bedside and as they did, even while delirious, she would sing the old songs about her precious Jesus. 

On a day when the end was nearing, she was lucid and able to talk to those in the room.  As Bill and Gloria sat by her bed, Mom Hartwell was recalling moments both rewarding and difficult.  After a time, Bill asked her this question, “Mom, you have lived a long time.  We are just starting out with our family and lives.  Tell me, has it been worth it, serving Jesus all these years?”

Mom, looked at him with her Irish twinkle and responded.  “Billy”, she said, “the longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.”  It was not long after that Mom Hartwell slipped into the arms of her Jesus.  And by then, her encouraging words had been shaped into a song…THE LONGER I SERVE HIM.