3-8-24

I recently heard a man giving a Eulogy for a woman in his neighborhood who had been like a 2nd mom to him growing up. He spoke of her boldness when it came to sharing Jesus love. How she would tell him how much she loved him and how proud she was of him, no matter what he was doing. He said he knew that his mother loved him, but this lady seemed to go out of her way to encourage him in every stage of his life. He said that when he was little, he thought that she was “Aunt Jemima” because she wore a bandana in her hair and always had a dress on. One day when he was older, he suddenly realized that she was dirt poor. His family was poor too but as a young child, most of the people in his town were poor, so he hadn’t notice. But suddenly he realized that she had 2 dresses for every day and a “Sunday go to meeting” dress. Once he realized this, he noticed that the dresses were a little tattered, but they were always clean. Then he realized that even though she was dirt poor, if someone in her neighborhood had a need, she found a way to fill it. She always made cookies for the all the kids on the street. He realized that as a young boy, if he had a problem with his brother or his parents, it was her that he ran to for comfort. When she passed, he began to wonder, why did this woman care? Why did she do all the things for others that she did? He KNEW that she had made a huge difference in his life. As the pastor spoke at the funeral, this man heard him say that she was “the hands and feet of Jesus”. It was then, as an adult that he realized, she loved Jesus more than anyone he had ever encountered. She showed it every day by loving those she came in contact with. It was during the funeral that he felt the calling to do “God’s work” as well. At that point he wasn’t sure if that meant living like her or becoming a pastor, or possibly both. This man would not have known the love of God if it were not for this woman, who for as long as he could remember had been loved and encouraged by someone who was not even blood related, in fact, not even the same color as he, and that seemed to make it all the more special to him. She indeed, was the hands and feet of Jesus in a hurting neighborhood. She gave away what little she had, because loving others was more important than having nice things or even being “comfortable”.

Lord, I pray that you will show me how to be “the hands and feet of Jesus”. That you will put in front of me, opportunities for me to show God’s love and that I will always see them and respond in a way that Jesus would. Thank you, Father for the gifts we receive every day, and for the example that Jesus was while he was on earth. Amen.

Shirlene Peterson