On Wednesday, we buried yet another member of our church. This woman was definitely one of those unsung heroes that we hear so much about, yet we often overlook on a daily basis.
She wasn’t a singer nor did she ever hold a lofty role in the church, but (please don’t take me wrong here) I believe that she possessed a much more important gift. She believed in the power of prayer! And she put that belief into practice daily!! This lady prayed over absolutely anything and everything! There was nothing too small or insignificant for her to take it to the Lord.
She loved people! She genuinely cared about folks. If someone was sick or in the hospital for some reason, she was the first to call and check on you. I remember when having both of my kids, this sweet lady called daily to check on me and the baby and tell me that we were in their prayers. She put her love/care into action!
As we helped prepare for the funeral, I was amazed at the Christmas cards and photos that she had kept over the years from each and every one of us at church. She would place them in clear cellophane envelopes to preserve them. Who does that? Especially in today’s world! But this lady cared enough to keep each and every one for years and years! She sure loved her church family —that much was very evident!
You know the old saying… you don’t know what you have until it’s gone… well, that’s so so true. It could also be said, you don’t truly know people sometimes until they are gone. When you look through their things and see just WHO they really were and what they had accomplished, it is sad to realize that we often don’t appreciate people enough in this life.
This woman had health conditions. She had crippling arthritis. She was bent over badly. Her joints in her hands and feet were disfigured by the disease. Yet, more times than not, she would come to church anyway— despite being in pain. She would toddle up front with her walker to get prayed for. Folks would gather around and pray. After a bit, by faith, she would start taking slow laps around the church. Before too long, the Lord would touch her and her pace would increase! One of those twisted hands would shoot up to the air! And before you knew it, she was speaking in tongues, crying, worshipping and praising the Lord!
She and her husband both were known for their testimonies! I can’t recall a service in the last 25 years that they were there that they DIDN’T testify! She firmly believed that if you asked God to do something —you HAD to be sure to give Him the glory when He did it for you !
She would always say- He’s so good to us and when He does something for us, all He asks is that we thank Him!
She seemingly had many excuses of why she couldn’t …yet, she didn’t make excuses. She just served God anyway! She knew her strength lay in God alone. She lived her life dependent on HIM! Like the Psalmist, She knew where her help was going to come from! and God always seemed to honor her sacrifice! It didn’t matter that He never came by and fully healed her (on this side!) . I believe she was just as thankful for HIS day by day touch as she would have been for a complete miraculous healing!
I, for one, want to honor this old saint of God by learning from her example! Some takeaways from her life, I think, would be:
•Trust God with your whole heart! You Will never go wrong trusting God! He is faithful! He won’t fail you!
•Pray about everything! God cares even about the little things that bother us! He is a personal God!
•Show people you care by your actions! It’s not enough to say you care. Show folks you care by being concerned and by caring enough to take the time to let them know that you care! •Give God the glory for everything! HE IS GOOD! He is worthy of all the praise!! He deserves our worship!
•Be content with such things as you have! We will have more enough if we will be thankful for what God has already blessed us with!!
In closing,
Her race is now run; she kept the faith….
I have no doubt, She is now running down the streets of Glory— without any crippled limbs or any faltering gait! She HAS received the ultimate healing! (One she never fully received in this life!) But now, praise the Lord, she has a new body and she has a new life!
So, I say Run on, Sis. Ruth, Run on!
Keep watching for us—We are on our way!
-Tiphanie ❤️
She was such a wonderful lady!
Couldn’t have honored our dear sister better. We will miss her dearly! She hath truly won the victory.
Sis Ruth will truly be miss my those of us at the church !! We Loved her Very Much !!