Ephesians 6:12-16 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”
I performed a memorial service for a very special woman over the weekend. It was a great pleasure and I was honored to be able to be part of the ceremony. The interesting thing is that Marge asked me to perform the memorial at least two years before she passed away. I think sometimes that she must be a prophet, as I do not believe that I was ordained at the time, and really had not really thought about being ordained. I was ordained by the time she went to be with Jesus. It was a great pleasure to be able to honor her wish.
As I prepared my talk, it became very apparent what I would say. I have known Marge for all my life, and she was my Nanny’s best friend. She was part of the family, and she was the epitome of walking by faith. You may ask, what made this woman such an example? I will tell you. . . .
Marge fought MS all her life. She was a single mom for a large portion of that time. The MS made it hard for her to see and she did not have peripheral vision. This woman though would walk to the bus stop everyday and go to work to support her family. This is not even the amazing part. What is amazing is that you would never hear her complain. I cannot remember a time, even when she was in the hospital, when she complained. Sure she felt pain, and most likely went through the struggles we all have when we face such hardships, but you would not know that she was going through it. You would be able to tell by the way she walked, but not by how she acted. Marge had every right in human estimates to compain and curse God, but she did not, instead she walked by faith knowing that there is a better place yet to come. This world is not permanent. Today she is tap dancing in Heaven.
This woman walked by faith and was content in every situation God put her. If we all lived as content as this woman, and were as cheerful as her, then the world would definitely be a much better place. She was not as noticed as Mother Theresa, but she definitely impacted those around her just as much.
I will end with what I said in the closing with what I said at the memorial. “Here is what I think we all should learn from this wonderful woman’s life. We should learn to be content with what we have and where we are at in life. We should not get caught up in stuff, but focus on what truly matters in our lives, relationships. Relationship with family, friends, and most importantly Jesus. Lastly, she would want us all to learn to laugh more in life. To truly enjoy, even in our daily struggles, as we remember that this life is temporary and that death is not the end of life but in reality the true beginning. ‘Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.’”
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