Not too long ago I attended the funeral of a 97 year old widow lady. This lovely and wise lady was one of my wife’s cousins. Even though we didn’t see her very often, mainly at family reunions and funerals of other relatives, I really admired her wisdom and understanding of others.
Her eulogy was delivered by one of her grandsons. His presentation of his grandmother and her life was tremendous and the way he delivered it deserves a noteworthy praise. I never realized how much this lady had gone through during her lifetime, but the way she approached life and handled situations always involved leaning on God and His guidance.
Her pastor spoke of her dedication and participation in church. He noted that only a couple of weeks before she was singing in the choir and raising her voice to the Lord. He spoke of how she and a few other ladies would go with him to the nursing home and also visit people that weren’t able to go outside of their home.
He noted that she very rarely missed any services at church. Her grandson asked her about this one day and she told him that she didn’t miss church because she didn’t want anyone thinking that she was on the devil’s side. What a fabulous testimony! She was an encourager, a compassionate person and was always willing to help anyone and anywhere she could, especially at church. She volunteered her services in many ways and provided a good, wholesome leadership for others to see and follow.
She had many favorite verses but Romans chapter 8 was her favorite scripture. One verse that she lived by is Romans 8:28; “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This was her life and she lived each day to the fullest. She was a joy for anyone to be around and she loved her children and grandchildren. Even in her golden years she was full of excitement and continued to cook for her family and friends until the day she passed away. She was known for her cooking and everyone loved her caramel cakes. She made one the morning of her last day on earth and it was served at a fellowship dinner after her funeral.
Even after her death she continued to be a witness for Christ. She asked that songs such as “All the Way My Savior Leads Me,” “Rock of Ages,” and “The Lily of the Valley,” be sung at her funeral. She knew where she was going and that was to be with Jesus and the final song she asked for was “Where We’ll Never Grow Old.” She is definitely in that land singing praises to her Lord and Savior at this time.
This strong lady left a legacy with her time on earth and I know she challenges anyone and everyone to know Jesus personally. I know that if she could say anything to you right now that would be “Have you accepted Jesus into your heart?” If not, do it today for we never know when our last day will be.
Prayer: Lord I give you the praise and glory for the opportunity of knowing this wonderful person on earth. I pray that you will comfort her family and friends as they have lost a role model to them and a great prayer warrior for everyone. Amen.
