This past Monday I went to a funeral. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise because as a pastor, I often conduct funerals, but on this occasion, I was there to support my friends. The friends were Roger and Beth Durham and their children Josh and Heather. Roger’s mother, Mrs. Laura Durham, had died after a battle with cancer and I wanted to be there.
I had met Mrs. Durham on several occasions. She was so nice and always had a wonderful smile on her face. But, I think that I learned more about her at her funeral than I ever learned about her when I met her. She was not much into talking about herself. She was, in fact, quite unassuming and soft spoken. But there was always something special about her. It was something that was unspoken and yet it beamed from her like a lighthouse beacon. She was a devout Christian. Her faith could not be contained. It radiated out of her even if you met her on only a few occasions, you just noticed something about her. I want to let you read a portion of her obituary, “As can be attested by all who knew her, Laura was a truly devout woman of the Lord, a trusted confidant, a gracious and loving mother, as well as a devoted Grandmother and Great-grandmother. She exuded love in every encounter be it with family, friend, or stranger. Her life was a constant example of God’s grace and love on Earth. She warmed hearts, caused laughter, and fed the body and spirit of everyone until their heart was content. Whether she was baking cookies for VBS or baking bread and cinnamon rolls for family and friends, she warmed the hearts of everyone who knew her. Laura’s house was one of good cheer, continuous love, and unending patience.”
The funeral service was so appropriate. Her pastor Dr. Joe Worley recounted her tenure as a secretary at First Baptist. She was a pleasure to have in the office and represented the church with dignity and grace. One of her sons, Rev. Larry Fondren, gave the eulogy. His words were elegant and he emphasized that tears were due to loss of being with Mrs. Durham, not due to her future… because she was with her Lord. The service was a celebration of a life well lived and I was thankful to have been there to hear about the impact Mrs. Laura Durham had on all those whom she met.
The Bible tells us about life, about death, and about life after death. In John: 14, these words of comfort can be found, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Was Mrs. Durham some sort of Super-Christian? Yes and no. She simply gave her life to Christ and Christ dwelt in her heart and ruler her very being. That is a blessing you can have too. All it takes is the humility to surrender your life and pray for Jesus to take it over. That’s it! No magic formula or special words… Jesus already loves you and is waiting to lead you. Mrs. Durham did that very well. Granted, not all Christians may be able to exude the kind of love that she gave, but we can give it our best shot!
My hat is off to such a wonderful story of Christian faith, may the same be said of us all at our funerals.
2 comments:
Thank you, Clay. Your words honor my Mother and our family. I had hoped that I was past the tears, but I also realize that when they now come, they are reminders of her. Not because of my loss of her, but because of how blessed I am to have been her son. Thank you and Beth for your visits and prayers.
Roger
Thank you Pastor for your comments about my mother-in-law. To have known her was an honor and a Christian example to live up to.
Christine Durham
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