One of my beautiful daughters-in-law, Martha Margaret Cotten, posted this on her Facebook page a couple of months ago. I missed it somehow back then, but I just saw it on their family webpage and it touched me deeply. I expect it will impact you too so I decided to post it here.
I attended a funeral the other day for a beautiful sister in Christ whom I knew from childhood. She was a woman whose testimony was one of faithfulness in the face of suffering, of joy in the presence of despair, and of beauty in her fear of the Lord. It was so touching to see how many people loved her and were encouraged in their faith because of her.
It really made me start thinking about what might be said at my funeral:
“Martha Margaret was a woman who loved the Lord – most of the time. We could tell by her choices that she truly wanted to follow the Lord – except when she wanted to follow her own heart more. She was faithful some of the time, but many times was disappointing in her sanctification. Her children are indifferent and her husband is grateful the nagging has finally stopped. Praise God, in His wisdom that he took her before she could make a complete fool of herself and all of us.”
This was truly depressing. I walked away with the feeling that I could and would never be the kind of woman where they read Proverbs 31 at her funeral and everyone weeps at how true it was. The next morning I got up with those things in mind and sat before the Lord. I hoped He would reassure me, pat me on the back and tell me that I am “good enough, strong enough, and doggone it, people like me”. But He didn’t. He didn’t tell me I was wrong. He told me I was right. But most importantly, He gently told me that this is what could be said of me:
“Martha Margaret was a woman who loved the Lord – most of the time. She was flawed and sinful, but her God was big enough to cover even her sin. Every time she was proud, greedy, lustful, angry, argumentative, lazy, jealous, and bitter, God was there to convict and forgive. When we all grew tired of her whining and complaining, God didn’t give up. He stood by her. He was faithful. He was merciful. He was gracious. These are the reasons we know that God is able to save even the least of us. If he can be faithful to her, give her love for others, give her a peace that passes understanding, answer her prayers…then this is a God truly for ANYONE!”
I don’t know what will really be said at my funeral, but I am happy that I can trust that His faithfulness and grace will carry me through this life, because without it the first eulogy would surely be true!
This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 10:52 am and is filed under General. You can leave a comment and follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.